Federica Mogherini meets with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s Secretary of State, and H.E. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States
Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, met today, in the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, and H.E. Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.
The third ministerial dialogue focused on Latin America (Venezuela and Nicaragua); the Middle East and particularly Syria; Russia and Ukraine; the Western Balkans; Africa; and multilateralism.
The European Union reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to a multilateral international order based on the rule of law and expressed great appreciation for the excellent cooperation with the Holy See. The EU and the Holy See had inaugurated in 2016 their Structured Dialogue on foreign policy and global issues.
The exchanges between High Representative Mogherini, Cardinal Parolin and Archbishop Gallagher are complemented by numerous additional EU-Holy See political and Senior Officials’ meetings. Recent contacts, including with the involvement of several European Commissioners, covered areas such as the EU’s future, migration, social policy, development and information policy.
Dialogues are held at headquarters and increasingly between the EU’s Delegations and Nunciatures in the world, including in multilateral fora such as the United Nations.
The European Union will continue to strengthen dialogue with the Holy See, in bilateral and multilateral context, with a view to enhancing peace, stability and security in the world