Patriarch Kirill The Russian Orthodox Church has described as the main objective, of the upcoming visit of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia to Turkey, being the improvement of relations with the Constantinople Patriarchate and the discussion of existing disputes.

"Patriarch Kirill would want this visit to open up a new page in the relations with the Constantinople Patriarchate. We must move away from confrontation and conflicts. We must build a system of mutual confidence because the local Orthodox Churches constitute a single family," head of the Department for External Church Relations Archbishops Hilarion of Volokolamsk told the press on Wednesday commenting on the meeting between the Patriarch and Turkish ambassador to Russia Halil Akinci.

According to the archbishop, the situation that arose in 1996 in Estonia should be ruled out in future relations between the two churches. Then "Constantinople unilaterally declared its jurisdiction and a conflict broke out which has not been settled to this day," he said.

"We greatly hope that in brotherly contacts the patriarchs of the two great churches will find a way to agree on a new format of relations, a format that would rule out such misunderstandings and be built on complete mutual confidence and fraternal love," the archbishop said.

Patriarch Kirill is planning to visit Turkey on July 4-6.