Mariela Magallanes and Americo De Grazia, two Venezuelan opposition MPs, arrived at Fiumicino Airport today.
The two MPs, both with a dual Italian-Venezuelan nationalities, found a safe haven at the Italian Embassy in Caracas on 8 and 9 May last after their parliamentary immunity had been revoked with the charge of having supported an attempted “military coup” by Guaidò at the end of April. Magallanes and De Grazia were also banned from leaving the country.
The complex operation to get the two MPs back to Italy was made possible by intense diplomatic work by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Embassy in Venezuela, with Minister Luigi Di Maio becoming directly involved; it culminated in confidential negotiations between Nicolas Maduro and the Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Senator Pierferdinando Casini, who had a recent telephone conversation with Minister Di Maio.
The two members of parliament were welcomed at Fiumicino by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
