Secretary of state in the context of "Enrique Peña Nieto"

In many countries, ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support, including consular services, for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entity is usually headed by a foreign minister or minister of foreign affairs (the title may vary, such as secretary of state who has the same functions). The foreign minister typically reports to the head of government (such as prime minister or president).

Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level executive bodies in the machinery of governments that manage a specific sector of public administration.

These types of organizations are usually led by a politician who is a member of a cabinet—a body of high-ranking government officials—who may use a title such as minister, secretary, or commissioner, and are typically staffed with members of a non-political civil service, who manage its operations; they may also oversee other government agencies and organizations as part of a political portfolio. Governments may have differing numbers and types of ministries and departments. In some countries, these terms may be used with specific meanings: for example, an office may be a subdivision of a department or ministry.

Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is also used in other organizational settings.

In government, the position may be a junior government minister (e.g. a parliamentary secretary) who assists a secretary of state. In other cases, the position may be a senior government official, frequently a career public servant, who typically acts as a senior administrator. The senior administrator may be considered a second-in-command to a politically appointed cabinet minister or other government official (e.g. in the United States), or they may be considered a head or chief executive of a government department (e.g. a permanent secretary). Some systems of government have both types of position, as in the United Kingdom where the title has been in use since the 17th century.

Sébastien Lecornu (French: [sebastjɛ̃ ləkɔʁny]; born 11 June 1986) is a French politician who has served as Prime Minister of France since 2025. Positioned on the right of the ideological political spectrum, Lecornu has promoted Gaullist, Séguinist, and socially conservative beliefs.

Since leaving The Republicans (LR) in 2017, Lecornu has been a member of Renaissance (RE). Lecornu was President of the Departmental Council of Eure from 2015 to 2017. In government, he served as Secretary of State to the Minister of the Ecological and Inclusive Transition (2017–2018), Minister for Local Authorities (2018–2020), Minister of the Overseas (2020–2022) and Minister of the Armed Forces (2022–2025).

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (French: Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères [ministɛʁ də løʁɔp e dez‿afɛʁ(z‿)etʁɑ̃ʒɛʁ], MEAE) is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The term Quai d'Orsay is often used as a metonym for the ministry. Its cabinet minister, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs (French: Ministre de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères) is responsible for the foreign relations of France. The current officeholder, vacant, since 14 October 2025. For a brief period from 1984 to 1986, the office was titled Minister for External Relations.

In 1547, royal secretaries became specialised, writing correspondence to foreign governments and negotiating peace treaties. The four French secretaries of state where foreign relations were divided by region, in 1589, became centralised with one becoming first secretary responsible for international relations. The Ancien Régime position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs became Foreign Minister around 1723; it was renamed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1791 in the aftermath of early stages of the French Revolution. All ministerial positions were abolished in 1794 by the National Convention and reestablished with the Directory.

The Federal Government of Belgium (Dutch: Federale regering [feːdəˈraːlə rəˈɣeːrɪŋ]; French: Gouvernement fédéral [ɡuvɛʁnəmɑ̃ fedeʁal]; German: Föderalregierung [fødeˈʁaːlʁeˌɡiːʁʊŋ]) exercises executive power in the Kingdom of Belgium. It consists of ministers and secretaries of state ("junior", or deputy-ministers who do not sit in the Council of Ministers) drawn from the political parties which form the governing coalition. The federal government is led by the prime minister of Belgium, and ministers lead ministries of the government. Ministers together form the Council of Ministers, which is the supreme executive organ of the government (equivalent to a cabinet).

Formally, executive power is vested in the king, who formally appoints the ministers. However, under the Constitution of Belgium, the king is not politically responsible for exercising his powers, but must exercise it through the ministers. The king's acts are not valid unless countersigned by a minister, and the countersigning minister assumes political responsibility for the act. Thus, in practice, the ministers do the actual day-to-day work of governing.