The pathway to unity will probably require an all-encompassing, inclusive council of primates/patriarchs of the entire “holy, catholic, and apostolic church”.

While living in Bulgaria, I encountered a widespread perception that the Russian Orthodox church has become the Third Rome, displacing Constantinople, which had previously been the New Rome.  There appears to be a lot of eastern church history behind these notions of leadership (i.e. “first among equals”).  

A year ago, four of the fourteen patriarchates (i.e. Antioch, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Russia) boycotted the pan-orthodox council assembled in Crete by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.   Hence, his effort to hold a modern council could not come to full fruition.