'Welcomed Like Superstar': Putin Most Popular Politician in Greece's Athos

© Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin / Go to the mediabankPresident Vladimir Putin's visit to Greece. Day Two
President Vladimir Putin's visit to Greece. Day Two - Sputnik International
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Nowhere in Greece do people love Russia and its President Vladimir Putin so much as in the Orthodox monastic community in Holy Mount Athos, German magazine Spiegel Online wrote.

At the end of his official visit to the country, the Russian leader made a pilgrimage to the holy place, where he was met with excitement and admiration.

"As Putin, completing his visit to Greece, reached Athos this Saturday, the monks welcomed him as a superstar, and even more: as the defender of their faith and a loyal ally of Greece," Spiegel Online wrote.

The local residents were very happy to welcome the Russian leader, even if his arrival brought chaos to their otherwise peaceful lives. While port police boats patrolled the water, employees of the Russian Security Service wearing glasses and suits carefully watched every street in the area.

"Putin is the only true leader in the world," says one of the monks, father Efraimos, cited by the magazine. "Whom should he be compared to? Obama? Merkel? There is simply no comparison," he added.

An episode that occurred later during a liturgy serves as more proof of Putin’s popularity in the local community. The church where the worship took place had only one throne, and it was reserved for the “Russian guest of honor,” even despite the fact that Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos also attended the service.

© Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin / Go to the mediabankMay 28, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Mount Athos
May 28, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Mount Athos - Sputnik International
May 28, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Mount Athos

May 27, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during a joint news conference following Russian-Greek talks in Athens. - Sputnik International
Vladimir Putin Uses 'Religious Diplomacy' During His Visit to Greece
"For the Greek President there was only a place in the "pew next to mere mortals," the article said. "Pavlopoulos' crew tried to persuade the monks to put a second throne next to Putin’s seat, but in vain: in the autonomous republic of Mount Athos these are monks who set the tone and they made it clear whom they consider their favorite guest," the magazine concluded.

The Russian leader came to Athos for the second time. This time, he visited the holy place to commemorate the millennial anniversary since the first Russian settlement on the Holy Mount Athos.

Despite numerous posters critical of Putin that were seen on the streets of Athens, relations between Greece and Russia remain traditionally good. According to social surveys, the Russian president is far ahead of European politicians in terms of Greek citizens' feelings towards him.

© Sputnik / Alexei Druzhinin / Go to the mediabankMay 28, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Mount Athos
May 28, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Mount Athos - Sputnik International
May 28, 2016. Russian President Vladimir Putin visits Mount Athos
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