This morning, Thursday 13 February 2020, the Holy Father Francis received in audience, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the President of the Republic of Mali, His Excellency Mr. Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, who subsequently met with His Eminence Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States.

During the discussions at the Secretariat of State, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, the existing good bilateral relations were evoked, and the parties spoke about the domestic situation in the country, with particular reference to humanitarian and security issues, endangered by the spread of religious radicalism and terrorism.

Reference was then made to various matters of regional and international interest, including growing food insecurity in the Sahel region, the phenomenon of migration, and peacekeeping in western Africa.