On June 3, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed the meeting of the  Russian Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society on account of 140^th anniversary of that organization.

Mr. Lavrov paid particular attention to the place of Christianity in the modern world and the pressure it has recently become subject to due to the present geopolitical developments.

"It is incumbent upon us to protect the rights of Christians and especially of the Orthodox. I mean Orthodoxy in particular, because unfortunately, in recent years, at the initiative of the US, cunningly manipulating the Patriarch of Constantinople, a course has been taken to destroy Orthodoxy."

"You know what subversive actions have been taken in Ukraine against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church: a schismatic church-like structure has been created there. You are also aware of their attempts to destroy the Syrian Orthodox Church; the same applies to the Serbian Orthodox Church," said the Russian Foreign Minister.

"This is obviously a strategic course of the USA and EU to undermine everything related to Russia, to the Slavic nations, to Orthodox Christianity," concluded Mr. Sergei Lavrov.