In a meeting with the Italian press at the conclusion of the 13th Italo-Russian Cooperation Council held in Moscow yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Giulio Terzi expressed his “truly highest hope” to obtain the Indian authorities’ permission for the temporary release of the two marines for Christmas.
“My highest hope is to be able to welcome them back to Italy for Christmas”, said the minister. “The High Court of Kerala will review the request for the two sharp-shooters’ temporary return to their families for the holidays, as I believe is absolutely imperative for reasons that go beyond legal and jurisdictional questions”.
Terzi, who said he had already spoken of the request for permission with the “highest levels” of the government of Delhi “a couple of weeks ago”, then stressed that this would be “a truly human gesture that the Indian authorities should fully agree with”. The minister also held a bilateral meeting today with Russian Vice-Premier Arkady Dvorkovich – co-chairman of the Cooperation Council – who said he had recently discussed the affair “with highly placed members of the Russian government” that had expressed their solidarity. “I had the impression that, where the solid friendship between the Russian Federation and India offers the possibility to exert influence, they would be willing to do so”, he said, “as they have been in the past, but now perhaps in an even more decisive way”.
Nevertheless, Italy’s top diplomat ruled out the need for mediation and specified that the case would be “resolved by Italy with India in a context in which the voice of the international community is of paramount importance”.
“The authoritative reputation of the Indian Supreme Court, which is examining the fundamental point of our officers’ functional jurisdiction, and the ample independence and profound knowledge of international law that these judges have always demonstrated”, he concluded, “are all elements that inspire in me and in the entire government the firmest confidence that the question will rapidly be resolved”. (AGI)
