On April 3, 2026, Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia received at the Patriarchal Residence in Belgrade a delegation from the Greek Municipality of Rigas Feraios, headed by the Mayor of Velestino, Dimitrios Nasikas.
Patriarch Porfirije warmly welcomed the distinguished guests, expressing his deep and sincere gratitude for the selfless love, assistance, and support offered by the people of Velestino and the brotherly Greek nation to Serbia and its people during the difficult and tragic days of the 1999 bombing.
The members of the delegation of the Municipality of Rigas Feraios, who are visiting Belgrade as guests of the Municipality of Stari Grad—with which they maintain long-standing twinning relations—expressed their joy and gratitude for the opportunity to meet, during their stay in the Serbian capital, with the Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
This cordial visit, which highlights the traditionally close and unbreakable ties between the Serbian and Greek peoples, was further enriched by the meeting of His Holiness with Protopresbyter-Stavrophoros Athanasios Traikos, a friend from his student years. Recalling their time together as students in Belgrade revived fond memories and further confirmed the deep spiritual bonds that unite the two Orthodox peoples.
Also present at the meeting were Radoslav Marjanović, President of the Municipality of Stari Grad, members of the delegation of the Municipality of Rigas Feraios, members of the Municipal Council of Stari Grad, as well as Deacon Nikola Kostić, Secretary of the Office of the Serbian Patriarch.