ROME, September 17. /TASS/ Vatican Secretary of State (head of government) Cardinal Pietro Parolin urged the establishment of a channel of dialogue with Moscow. He noted that the European Union should also support the dialogue, based on the diplomatic principle of mutually beneficial solutions to ensure security and well-being for all.
"Russia should not be isolated, a certain channel for dialogue needs to be established, because only through dialogue can solutions be found [including to the Ukrainian crisis]," Vatican News quoted him as saying.
"This is the path that we so often advocate in our diplomacy, a mutually beneficial solution, meaning that every solution should truly benefit both sides. And I believe that if we follow this path, there may no longer be a situation where one side prevails over the other or one side is destroyed by the other," he continued.
The cardinal recalled that Vatican diplomacy is not aimed at achieving immediate results. He did not specify the dates of the planned visit to Moscow by Italian Bishops’ Conference President Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, which is expected at the end of the month. However, he confirmed the intention to continue work on humanitarian issues to help bring the parties closer, secure a ceasefire and promote negotiations and dialogue. In August, Vatican Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher visited the Russian capital.
Regarding the European Union’s policy toward Russia, Parolin stressed the importance of "establishing a channel for dialogue," ANSA news agency reported. "A platform needs to be found that would ensure everyone’s security and make it possible to develop something (some kind of solution - TASS)," the agency quoted him as saying.