Moscow, July 19, 2010, Interfax
"We (Russia and Ukraine - IF) preserve unity as nation. We're joining the family of other European nations not as guided nation hanging upon words of the other, stronger partner, but as equal partners, bearers of our own historic and cultural code," Patriarch Kirill said in his interview to Ukrainian TV-channels on the eve of his visit to Ukraine.
According to him, "The top brains in Europe and other countries understand pretty well" how important is to preserve national spiritual and cultural identity.
"It's a great challenge in conditions of globalization. We should preserve diversity and the beauty of God's world, and at the same time develop good international cooperation and peaceful relations among nations," Patriarch Kirill believes.
According to him, if Russians, Ukrainians and Byelorussians refuse their "basic values," probable destruction of "national matrix" will become "a great catastrophe of civilization - just as if other nations lose their identity."
"The world will be unified and horrific, the world will be easily manipulated. Why? Because this spiritual culture traditional for the majority of people is the main criteria for telling good from evil," the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church believes.
