ROME \u2013 Italian aid worker Alberto Trentini had been detained in Venezuela for 423 days. The exact charges remain unclear. Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani stated: \u201cWe are not concerned now with what the charges might have been; what matters is that he, like other Italian citizens, is free, and that the other 42 Italians with dual nationality are released as soon as possible\u201d. Tajani recounted how Italian diplomacy, working discreetly, left no stone unturned to secure Trentini\u2019s return, both through local channels and by seeking mediation from the United States: \u201cSecretary of State Marco Rubio was a very important interlocutor for me\u201d. The turning point, he added, came only after the capture of President Maduro.<\/p>\n
How was the release achieved, which seemed difficult even after other Italians had been freed?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWith the statement by the President of Parliament Rodr\u00edguez (brother of the new President) announcing that prisoners held in their jails would be released\u2014a gesture paving the way for a new phase\u201d.<\/p>\n Did this mark the decisive acceleration? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDiplomatic contacts intensified, and on Sunday around 8:15 p.m., I received a call from the Venezuelan Foreign Minister informing me that our two citizens would be released.\u00a0 But until they arrived at the embassy at 3:50 a.m. yesterday and I personally spoke with them to ensure they were safe, we did not allow any signals to leak, because the situation in Venezuela remains extremely delicate\u201d.<\/p>\n Who should be thanked? On the role of the United States, which helped remove Maduro, an act you consider \u201clegitimate\u201d? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMaduro is no longer the head of Venezuela, and that is a fact.\u00a0 Thanks must certainly go to all institutions that have worked tirelessly, not only in recent days but over the past months:\u00a0 Palazzo Chigi, our embassy in Caracas, the Italian Foreign Ministry and our intelligence agencies.\u00a0 All maintained relations, as has been done in the past for other Italians, such as Cecilia Sala\u201d.<\/p>\n What did Italy concede to the current Venezuelan government in return?<\/strong> \u201cThe first decision was to elevate the current Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires in Venezuela to the rank of Ambassador\u201d.<\/p>\n So this is a recognition of the government that Italy had not granted under Maduro? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn practice, we are seeking to re-establish better relations with a country that is strategic for us.\u00a0 One million Venezuelans are of Italian origin, 170,000 hold Italian passports and Venezuela is a political priority. We have both geopolitical and industrial-economic interests\u201d.<\/p>\n What about Eni and oil? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEni participated alongside other major companies in a meeting with Trump to resume and expand energy activities in the country. Access to such significant resources is crucial for us, particularly to reduce costs.\u00a0 It is a major opportunity, as is Mercosur, even though Venezuela is not a member.\u00a0 Latin America is a strategic region where we want to maintain a strong presence\u201d.<\/p>\n Does this mean Italy now supports the Rodr\u00edguez government?\u00a0 And what about opposition leader Machado?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cStep by step.\u00a0 We certainly want dialogue with Ms Rodr\u00edguez, but normalisation is a phased process.\u00a0 The first priority is stability, to prevent civil war.\u00a0 Then comes growth, where we will focus on developing a country facing severe economic challenges.\u00a0 Finally, the time for political transition will come\u201d.<\/p>\n Transition, meaning elections? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI repeat, as the Pope and all international bodies\u2014from the G7 to the EU\u2014have stressed, the first priority is ensuring the Venezuelan people experience as smooth a transition as possible.\u00a0 Only then can the democratic moment\u2014the elections\u2014be addressed\u201d.<\/p>\n Are you satisfied with the opposition\u2019s response?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOur work is to ensure the safety of Italians, not to receive praise.\u00a0 That said, yes, I have spoken with Schlein and Conte recognises the work carried out. Tomorrow (today) I will report to Parliament on Venezuela and Crans-Montana. Relations are ongoing and constant\u201d.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the world is volatile, with unrest in Iran.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe are deeply concerned about the situation. We are exerting all possible pressure to ensure human rights are respected, that the death penalty is not applied and that the UN-requested moratorium is observed. It is unacceptable that so many young people, whose only \u2018crime\u2019 is protesting for freedom, are condemned.\u00a0 We also hope for a peaceful resolution among internal factions\u201d.<\/p>\n Does Italy support Pahlavi?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe believe that Iranians should decide their own future freely, not under violence or death.\u00a0 If a humanitarian crisis occurs, as in Gaza or Sudan, we are ready to provide full support\u201d.<\/p>\n Regarding Ukraine, do you think internal disagreements within the Lega will pass in Parliament? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI see no obstacles. The decree was approved by the Council of Ministers, including with Lega votes. It is balanced, providing defensive equipment but also significant aid to the population, including energy generators to mitigate the destruction of critical infrastructure.\u00a0 The people should not be weakened by a \u2018general winter\u2019 before even facing the Russians\u201d.<\/p>\n You will also report on Crans-Montana today.\u00a0 How does Italy position itself? <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe will request that Swiss authorities identify and punish those responsible, and ensure full clarity on this enormous tragedy.\u00a0 We will also request to join as a civil party\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ROME \u2013 Italian aid worker Alberto Trentini had been detained in Venezuela for 423 days. The exact charges remain unclear. Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani stated: \u201cWe are not concerned now with what the charges might have been; what matters is that he, like other Italian citizens, is free, and that the other 42 […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":169628,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[398,28],"class_list":["post-169766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviste","tag-america-latina-e-caraibi","tag-ministro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169766","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\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169766"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169768,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169766\/revisions\/169768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}