Excerpts
from the transcript:
Mikhail Mishustin meets with the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States Paul Richard Gallagher
Mikhail
Mishustin: Greetings, Your Eminence. Welcome to the Government House
of the Russian Federation.
I am aware that you personally pay great attention to
promoting Russian-Vatican relations both at the state-to-state level and
between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. We are also interested
in strengthening our cooperation.
Russia’s
dialogue with the Holy See covers many areas which can be seen in President
Vladimir Putin’s meetings with Pope Francis as the third meeting took place at
the Vatican
on July 4, 2019.
Importantly, Russia and the Holy See join
efforts in overcoming global challenges, countering terrorism and extremism,
and protecting the Christian population in conflict zones. Acting jointly, we
can accomplish a lot to resolve moral problems, to establish humanistic
principles in international relations, and to develop the interfaith dialogue.
I would like to note in particular Pope Francis’
focused and respectful approach to Russia’s positions on international
problems. We look forward to continuing productive cooperation with the Vatican in
multilateral formats, primarily the UN, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.
Cultural and humanitarian interaction is an important
area in our cooperation. More recently, we marked the 200th birth anniversary
of the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. In October, the Vatican hosted a presentation of the Italian
edition of a book by the 19th century Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov titled
“Three Speeches in Memory of Dostoevsky.” Next month, Rome
will host a Russian-Vatican scientific and practical conference dedicated to
the outstanding Russian historian and theologian Academician Sergei Averintsev
held jointly with the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences with the
participation of historians and philosophers from Russia,
Italy and the Vatican.
We are interested in expanding cooperation in
healthcare, primarily with the Vatican’s
Bambino Gesù Hospital.
The Moscow Scientific and Practical Centre for Medical Help for Children has
strong ties with your specialists. Prior to the pandemic, about 20 Russian
children were treated annually at the Vatican
clinic, undergoing unique surgeries and neurosurgical treatment.
We believe it is necessary to promote cooperation in
education. The conclusion of an Agreement between the Russian Federation
and the Holy See on mutual recognition of higher education, qualifications and
academic degrees will facilitate this process. The talks on the draft of this
agreement are nearing completion.
I am ready to discuss pressing issues of cooperation
between Russia and the Vatican.
Please, Your Eminence, the floor is yours.
Paul Gallagher (retranslated): Thank you very much, Mr Prime Minister.
It is a great honour for me that
you are receiving me here, at the Government House. I am grateful to you for
the invitation. Minister Lavrov has invited me several times, and I am glad
that I could finally come here. Your Excellency, in my opinion this meeting has
special significance for our contacts and creates added value, as people now
say when discussing international relations.
You have noted that there are
many levels in our cooperation, and I believe that all of them focus on
practical, mutually beneficial matters, especially in culture and healthcare.
Many cultural events that we
scheduled have already taken place, or are being planned. This is largely
attributable to the efforts of your ambassador who has been a staunch supporter
of cultural cooperation along these lines. I do believe his efforts have won
him many respected and wonderful friends over the years that he has been
representing your country at the Holy See.
You have noted the attention the
Holy See attaches to Dostoyevsky. This is indeed an important topic for us.
There is a newspaper in the Vatican
that has been publishing articles on Dostoyevsky almost daily.
As for healthcare and the Bambino Gesù Hospital,
it is so gratifying that so many Russian youngsters have been able to benefit
from the high professionalism and experience of doctors working in this clinic.
It is our hope that this cooperation will carry on for many years to come.
As for the assistance, we do want
to help children who need it, but apart from that, we would like to share the
experience our doctors have. Many of them are pioneers in their specific
fields. I believe that by spreading their knowledge we can help children in
other places as well.
You also noted that we signed
several agreements and are working on a few more. Some of them are ready for
signing, including on education and qualifications. I believe that this will be
a major step forward that will benefit Russian youth, as well as those studying
at the Pontifical universities in Rome
and elsewhere.
Overall, I am delighted with the
opportunity to have this conversation with you. Thank you and your colleagues
for finding time to have this meeting with us today.
Thank you.
