“We are deeply grateful to His Holiness for granting this audience,” said Çavuşoğlu the day before the audience. He pointed out that the Papacy enjoyed observer status with the Council of Europe and that it shared the Organisation’s and its Parliamentary Assembly’s faith in the value of the human being.
Çavuşoğlu and Pope are expected to discuss interfaith dialogue during their meeting on Wednesday. The PACE president is also expected to invite the Pope to speak at the PACE General Assembly.
After the audience, the PACE president will meet with the Undersecretary of State to the Italian Council of Ministers, Gianni Letta. The PACE Bureau will subsequently be meeting, with the Secretary General, Thorbjørn Jagland, and the Deputy Secretary General, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio will also participate.
The Bureau’s agenda will include the implementation of PACE resolution on initiating dialogue with representatives of the political forces elected to the Kosovo Assembly on issues of common interest. It will update the draft agenda for the October session and adopt a declaration for International Day of Democracy on 15 September 2010. Also on the agenda will be the observation of the constitutional referendum in Moldova on 5 September last and co-operation with the European Parliament.
