With the blessing of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije, a scholarship award ceremony of the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia was held today in the ceremonial hall of the Saint Sava House in Zemun. The scholarships were awarded to students of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade who are learning the Greek language.
 
With the aim of strengthening and enhancing the spiritual and cultural ties between Serbia and Greece, the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, in cooperation with the Hellenic Foundation for Culture and with the blessing of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch kyr Porfirije, has been awarding scholarships for learning the Greek language for the fourth consecutive year to students of Serbia’s highest educational and scholarly ecclesiastical institution.
 
At the beginning of the ceremony, which once again affirmed the centuries-old friendship between the Serbian and Greek peoples, the attendees were addressed by His Grace Bishop of Toplica kyr Petar, Vicar of the Serbian Patriarch. – For us Orthodox Christians, the word holds a special significance, as One of the Holy Trinity is the Logos, the Word of God, through Whom God the Father glorified all creation. In the Word of God, we have received salvation through God's love. Throughout the centuries-long history of the Holy Church, the learning of languages has enabled theologians to access the Gospel truth in the most profound way, particularly through learning the language spoken in the regions where Christianity itself was born. Therefore, it is clear how important it is for our Church that the Greek language is being learned at our Faculty of Theology – emphasized Bishop Petar. He conveyed the blessing and gratitude of His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije to the Hellenic Business Association for its longstanding charitable support of students learning the Greek language. Bishop Petar also delivered the Patriarch’s paternal message and advice to the scholarship recipients, urging them to approach the study of this beautiful language of our friendly nation with responsibility and diligence.
The Vice President of the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, Mr. Vuk Dapčević, reminded those present that the Association, which brings together more than eighty Greek and Cypriot companies across nearly all sectors of the Serbian economy (shopping centers, hospitality, construction, sugar production, oil trade, cement production, energy, and banking), has been awarding scholarships to students of the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade for the fourth consecutive year, which is just one of the initiatives of social and cultural character aimed at further strengthening the unbreakable fraternal ties between the Serbian and Greek peoples.
 
This was followed by an address from Mr. Božidar Radojčin, Director of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture, which has supported the initiative of the Hellenic Business Association. He himself was once a recipient of this scholarship. – The best way to understand a country's culture is through learning its language – emphasized Mr. Radojčin, adding that the Foundation will continue to support initiatives that reinforce the friendship between these two brotherly nations.
 
In addition to representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Greece, the ceremony was attended by Mr. Joseph Vangelatos, Director of Inos Balkan; Mr. Stelios Tsoktouridis, Director of Alumil Yu Industry; Deacon Dr. Zdravko Jovanović, Professor at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade; Protopresbyter Boris Savić, Dean of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in Zemun and Archpriest of the Deanery of Zemun-New Belgrade; Priest Panajotis Karastasios, Dean of the Church of Saint Archangel Gabriel in Zemun; and Mr. Dušan Stokanović, Director of the Information and Publishing Institution of the Serbian Orthodox Church.