Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias has stressed that protecting Christian communities in the Middle East remains a priority for Greece, during a telephone conversation with Jordan’s ambassador to Greece, Zuhair Ensour, following the attack on St George’s Greek Orthodox Church in Karak, Jordan.

Dendias expressed his sincere condolences for the victims of the attack and conveyed his solidarity with Jordan and its people at this difficult time.

He also described Jordan as an example of peaceful coexistence between different religions, stressing that extremist elements must not be allowed to disrupt this centuries-old coexistence.

The defence minister’s conversation with the Jordanian ambassador followed a telephone call with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III.