Patriarch to attend dinner for Tsipras at Turkey’s Presidential Palace

Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomaios, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, will be attending an official dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday for Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

Vartholomaios will attend on Erdogan's invitation, the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA) reported, saying the dinner will take place at the Presidential Palace.

This is the first time a patriarch has been invited by the Turkish government to attend an official dinner during a visit by a Greek head of state, ANA-MPA said.

Tsipras is expected to hold talks with Vartholomaios on Wednesday, while also visiting the Halki Seminary.