Zagreb - Croatia and the Holy See support an end to global conflicts and a return to a multilateral world order based on respect for international law, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said on Thursday after meeting the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, Paul Richard Gallagher, in Rome.
They also discussed the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East. “We expressed a shared desire for these wars to stop and to return to an order that includes respect for international law, international organisations and multilateralism,” Jandroković told reporters.
He described the talks with Gallagher as friendly and open, adding that the two sides were aligned on these issues.
Jandroković said Gallagher was particularly interested in the situation in Croatia’s neighbourhood, adding that he had stressed the importance for Croatia that Bosnia and Herzegovina remain stable, functional and oriented towards Europe.
“Gallagher expressed full support, saying he supports equality and the constitutive status of the Croatian people, and that this should be reflected in legal and electoral arrangements,” he said.
He added that the Vatican was interested in the position of Catholics, and that Croatia, as a country that “best understands this area”, had an important role in interpreting developments in parts of the Western Balkans.
One of the topics was also the Dayton peace agreement, due to what Jandroković described as difficulties among newer generations of politicians in understanding its origins and why Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutional structure is “so complex”. He said Gallagher was well informed and understood the issue.
Jandroković concluded his visit to the Holy See, during which he also met Pope Leo XIV and Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.