MEP Calls on the EU to Develop a Strategy to Protect Christians in the Middle East and Africa

Nicholas Farantouris, a Member of the European Parliament from Greece, has proposed the development of a comprehensive European Union strategy aimed at protecting persecuted Christian communities. A written inquiry to that effect was sent to EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaia Kallas.

The request was prompted by a series of brutal attacks on Orthodox Christians in Ethiopia, Jordan, and Syria. In particular, the MEP highlighted the tragic events in Ethiopia’s Oromia region, where at least 60 people were killed in late October, as well as the terrorist attack on the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Jordan, for which the terrorist organization ISIS claimed responsibility. According to estimates by humanitarian organizations, the situation is systemic: over the past four years, hundreds of Christians have been killed in the Oromia region alone.

Nicholas Farantouris emphasized that the current response by European authorities, which is limited to formal statements condemning the violence, is insufficient. He insists on the need to develop a long-term strategy that combines diplomatic tools, humanitarian aid, and active cooperation with countries where religious minorities face the threat of annihilation and the destruction of their cultural heritage.

In his inquiry, the parliamentarian asks the European Commission to explain the mechanisms for incorporating the protection of religious communities into EU foreign policy and to clarify whether the EU leadership plans to use available financial and institutional levers to prevent further persecution of Christians in Africa and the Middle East.