The news of the release of Alberto Trentini and Mario Burl\u00f2 arrived at dawn, but Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had been pursuing it for some time. He highlights \u201clong and discreet work\u201d and describes the decision by interim President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez as \u201ca strong signal that Italy greatly appreciates\u201d. The release also raises further questions: what message is Italy sending to Caracas, to Washington and to the 42 Italo-Venezuelans still detained?<\/p>\n
Minister, today is a day of celebration.\u00a0 But what truly unlocked the release?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt was months of work, carried out discreetly by the entire \u2018Italian system\u2019:\u00a0 the Italian Foreign Ministry, the embassy, intelligence services and Palazzo Chigi. The turning point came yesterday evening, when around 8 p.m., Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil called to inform me that President Rodr\u00edguez had decided to release Trentini and Burl\u00f2, and that they would be freed within a few hours. We are very pleased with this result, the product of extensive behind-the-scenes work, always in contact with the families, and with the direct involvement of the Prime Minister. I would also like to thank Ambassador Giovanni Umberto De Vito for his outstanding work in achieving this outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Did you speak with Trentini and Burl\u00f2?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYes, they were extremely happy and about to call their families. The beginning of the end of Maduro\u2019s era seems to have influenced this outcome. How has Italy\u2019s relationship with Venezuela changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe Italian government has been able to engage and respond to the changes in Venezuela.\u00a0 Politically, President Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s decision to start a new phase by releasing political prisoners, and specifically Italian citizens beginning with Trentini, creates a new climate in Venezuela\u2013Italy relations. We have welcomed this decision with great satisfaction\u201d.<\/p>\n A \u201cstrong signal\u201d from Rodr\u00edguez, which Italy \u201cgreatly appreciates.\u201d\u00a0 What effects does it have?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cFollowing the release of Trentini and Burl\u00f2, we decided to fully restore diplomatic engagement with Venezuela. Until now, formally, there was only a Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires; our ambassador held that rank. This signals a willingness to establish a fuller relationship, in response to the positive signal from Caracas.\u00a0 Substantively, diplomatic work continued; formalising the embassy provides more effective tools and interlocutors, including for monitoring remaining cases.\u201d<\/p>\n How many cases remain, and what are the next steps?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe still have 42 Italians detained, including Italians and Italo-Venezuelans.\u00a0 Those with only Italian passports are all free. Among the remaining detainees, 24 are political prisoners; the rest are not. Our goal is to increase the number of releases, one by one, with realism and determination.\u00a0 In a delicate context, the essential priority is to safeguard individuals and bring them home.\u201d<\/p>\n You stress the \u201cstabilisation\u201d of Venezuela and mention a strong Italian presence:\u00a0 170,000 citizens, around one million of Italian descent, and Eni.\u00a0 How are citizens and interests protected?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cProtecting a large community and the legitimate interests of Italian companies is part of our foreign policy.\u00a0 We also have a significant presence of Eni in Venezuela.\u00a0 Energy is a fundamental issue for us. Eni also participated in the White House meeting with the main oil companies operating in Venezuela, and we intend to remain a leading presence in the sector. Italy is also working to create conditions for stability, an orderly transition, and, where possible, new elections.\u00a0 It is an approach of responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n And the United States\u2014what role did Washington play?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI thank U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who from the beginning showed great sensitivity to the issue of Italian prisoners and guaranteed his support, including at the most recent G7 meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n Has Italy\u2019s position on the Venezuelan crisis and U.S. action changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cItaly\u2019s position remains clear: a military solution is not the way to resolve complex crises.\u00a0 That said, countries assess risks and threats, including those related to drug trafficking.\u00a0 We work to ensure that politics prevails and that the region does not destabilise further.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet U.S. action continues to provoke strong reactions.\u00a0 And you have repeatedly condemned those burning U.S. flags.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt is a principle: one must not confuse a government with its people and history.\u00a0 Protests are legitimate, but burning flags does not create solutions.\u00a0 Today, open channels of dialogue are needed, not incendiary symbols.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, the tragic events in Iran.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMy condolences go to those who have lost their lives during the demonstrations.\u00a0 Italy, together with European partners, is actively engaging diplomatically to achieve a prompt and positive resolution to the crisis, respecting the aspirations of the Iranian people and the safety of its citizens. We have called for the death penalty not to be used as a tool to suppress the protests of young people and women in Iran.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The news of the release of Alberto Trentini and Mario Burl\u00f2 arrived at dawn, but Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had been pursuing it for some time. He highlights \u201clong and discreet work\u201d and describes the decision by interim President Delcy Rodr\u00edguez as \u201ca strong signal that Italy greatly appreciates\u201d. The release also raises further questions: […]","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":169639,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[398,28],"class_list":["post-169757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interventi","tag-america-latina-e-caraibi","tag-ministro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169757"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169758,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169757\/revisions\/169758"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI only exchanged a brief greeting to give them time to speak with their loved ones rather than with me.\u00a0 What mattered most was to give them a \u2018hug over the phone\u2019 and to reassure them that they would soon return to Italy.\u00a0 Between last night and today, they will be back in Italy. Our work continues, because this day represents a step forward, not a final goal\u201d.<\/p>\n