Chisinau, 17-20 January 2026. Official visit of the IAO Secretary General to Moldova

On January 17-20, 2026, the Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO), Member of the Hellenic Parliament, Dr. Maximos Charakopoulos, accompanied by the IAO Advisor, Dr. Kostas Mygdalis, held an official visit to Moldova, in order to meet with the Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova, Mr. Igor Grosu. The Ambassador of Greece to Moldova, Mr. Nikolaos Krikos, and the General Counselor for Communications of the Embassy, Mr. Efthymios Aravantinos, also attended the meeting.

Meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament

The visit to the Moldovan Parliament is part of the process of re-activating the Moldovan Parliament in the actions of the international institution. The IAO head emphasized that “Moldova belongs to the Orthodox world, just as it rightfully belongs to Europe. That is why we hope that your country will soon join the EU, which is both the most effective shield for its security and the path that will raise the living standards of its inhabitants.”

Furthermore, he underlined that “unfortunately, we see around us the rules of international law being circumvented, even this inviolability of borders. The doctrine of power is now emerging as dominant. The new revisionism is becoming official foreign policy. The weak states cannot trust the international organizations created by the post-war world. In your neighboring Ukraine, a bloody war is raging that broke out four years ago after the Russian invasion. Tens of thousands of our fellow human beings have lost their lives, even more are injured, millions have become refugees, -and your country hosts a significant part of them- infrastructure and homes have been destroyed. Despite the occasional hopes of a certain peace, with various proposed plans, all are soon denied and the deadly battles continue unabated. It is a situation that depresses and worries us, as the fears of the war expanding, with incalculable consequences, are reasonable.”

The Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova noted in a statement that: In the European Union, people respect their religions. In the EU, there is peace, which we are trying to maintain despite all the challenges. The IAO delegation firmly supports us in our goal of membership and we feel this support. Thank you!”.

Meeting with the Mayor of Chisinau

In addition, the IAO Secretary General met with the Mayor of Chisinau, Mr. Ion Ceban, a former MP and member of the IAO, underlining that “we feel particularly familiar with your country and city, as here we encounter a culture that is largely ours. This is because it has almost the same constituent elements, which come from the ‘Byzantine Commonwealth’, which is the cultural ancestor of all Orthodox. This fact has not only influenced the architecture of churches, iconography or chanting, but has also stamped the mentality of Orthodox peoples, who owe the preservation of their identity to a large extent to their faith. We are certain that our historical relations can and should be the starting point for even closer contacts, within the framework of the process of Moldova’s accession to the EU.”

Meeting with His Eminence the Metropolitan of Moldova

During the meeting of the IAO delegation with the H.E. the Metropolitan of Chisinau and All Moldova, Mr. Vladimir, at the headquarters of the Metropolis, the IAO Secretary General pointed out: “The Moldovans, as we have seen, are a religious people who respect their traditions. Proof of this is the flourishing of Orthodoxy after the disastrous period of socialism for the Church. This creates optimism in us and we would definitely like to see the friendly country walking with us in supporting Christian values in Europe.”

For his part, Mr. Vladimir referred to the actions of the Church of Moldova but also to the pivotal role of Greece in the Orthodox world.

The IAO delegation was given a particularly warm welcome at the Theological Academy of Chisinau, by Archimandrite Fr. Nektarios. 280 students study at the Academy, a significant part of whom will become priests of the Church of Moldova. It is noteworthy that among the subjects taught is Greek. During the delegation’s stay at the Theological Academy, a group of students sang traditional carols.

Earlier, the IAO delegation visited the Monastery of the Holy Myrrh-Bearers Martha and Mary, in the Causeni region, which has emerged as an important cultural and Orthodox center. The delegates were welcomed by the monks’ spiritual father, Fr. Andreas, who referred to the work carried out by the Monastery for the revival of Orthodoxy in Moldova, in the education of young people, but also in the social contribution to those in need, through the productive activities of the Monastery.

In honor of the IAO delegation, the students of the Monastery’s Lyceum sang traditional carols, as according to the old calendar, Epiphany is celebrated.

Visit to the historic place affiliated to the Filiki Eteria

Finally, on the sidelines of these visits, the IAO delegation visited the residence of the Michalis G. Katsikas, where Alexandros Ypsilantis was hosted during the preparation of the Greek Revolution. In this house, the members of the Holy Order were initiated into the Filiki Eteria (Friendly Society) and political contacts were made, with the participation of prominent Greeks such as Katakazis, political Governor of Chisinau, Michael Soutsos, ruler of Moldavia, the Princes Kantakouzenos, but also the great Russian poet Pushkin.