The coup d’état in Chile was a turning point in Italian-Latin American relations. Until that time, our relationship with Latin America had been closely defined by Italian immigration there.
“Our government was one of the first in the West not to immediately recognise the government that took power in Chile. Thanks to Italy, and thanks to the mobilisation of our diplomacy, our associations, our political parties and our trade unions, many lives were saved”, declared Under-Secretary Mario Giro. “In times of globalisation the most insidious enemies of democracy are resignation and populism”, concluded the Under-Secretary.
Today’s Chile, 40 years on from the coup, is a very different place. The country is growing and in recent years has slowly worked through the wounds inflicted in that period. Chile has tried, and continues to try, to achieve reconciliation. The two future candidates for the presidency, Michelle Bachelet and Evelyn Matthei, know each other well even though their fathers were soldiers on opposite sides of the divide.
