{"id":169770,"date":"2026-01-13T09:19:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T08:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/\/2026\/01\/tajani-il-segreto-e-la-discrezione-in-venezuela-nuovi-scenari-il-messaggero-il-mattino-il-gazzettino\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T14:53:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T13:53:41","slug":"tajani-il-segreto-e-la-discrezione-in-venezuela-nuovi-scenari-il-messaggero-il-mattino-il-gazzettino","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/interviste\/2026\/01\/tajani-il-segreto-e-la-discrezione-in-venezuela-nuovi-scenari-il-messaggero-il-mattino-il-gazzettino\/","title":{"rendered":"Tajani: \u201cThe secret is discretion. New scenarios in Venezuela\u201d (Il Messaggero \u2013 Il Mattino \u2013 Il Gazzettino)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minister Tajani, what does the release of Trentini and the other Italians represent for our country and its geopolitical role?<\/strong> \u201cFirst and foremost, it confirms that we now possess a consolidated and effective know-how, widely recognised, in securing the release of Italians detained abroad.\u00a0 Let me remind you that just a year ago, Cecilia Sala was freed and earlier, Alessia Piperno, the Italian girl arrested by the Pasdaran (Iranian Revolutionary Guards) in Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n

What did you discuss with Trentini when he was released and brought to the embassy in Caracas?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to know how he was, as I was concerned about his physical and psychological state. I spoke about this with him and with Mario Burl\u00f2.\u00a0 Our priority was the release of these two prisoners, as well as the other 42 Italians detained in Venezuela, for whom we remain fully committed\u201d.<\/p>\n

When did things accelerate regarding Trentini?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was after Jorge Rodr\u00edguez, President of the Venezuelan Parliament and brother of the current President, announced the release of prisoners.\u00a0 It was not guaranteed that Italians would be included, nor that Trentini would be among them.\u00a0 At that point, we mobilised every available diplomatic resource\u201d.<\/p>\n

The key to success?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe breadth of coordination\u2014the teamwork between Palazzo Chigi and the Italian Foreign Ministry\u2014and the excellent work of the embassy, the Italian consulate and our intelligence services\u201d.<\/p>\n

Did your discussions with the U.S. Secretary of State play a significant role?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very pragmatic.\u00a0 My relationship with Marco Rubio has always been excellent.\u00a0 At the G7 meeting on Epiphany, I raised the issue of releasing four Italians and he supported our request.\u00a0 There are matters on which we fully agree with the U.S. Administration and others where our positions differ, always handled with transparency and neutrality.\u00a0\u00a0 This is how it should be among allies, because the transatlantic relationship is paramount\u201d.<\/p>\n

So it is quiet, behind-the-scenes diplomacy that delivers results, rather than public posturing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cDiscretion is the heart of diplomacy.\u00a0 As a politician who became Foreign Minister, I quickly understood the importance of the art of diplomacy: dialogue, engagement, trust, and, when necessary, firmness.\u00a0\u00a0 But when required, one must stay away from the spotlight.\u00a0 We acted with discretion and full coordination. In fact, the first call I made after Trentini and Burl\u00f2 were released was to Giorgia Meloni.\u00a0 We had spoken on Sunday evening, as soon as the Venezuelan Foreign Minister informed me of the imminent release, discussing the human side of the matter, which is both political and, above all, human, as it concerns people and families who are suffering and to whom we must provide answers. Meloni had said: \u2018Call me at any hour once there is news.\u2019\u00a0 So I phoned her at 3:30 a.m.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Did the fall of Maduro and the rise of President Rodr\u00edguez facilitate the negotiations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Certainly. The new President wants to open new diplomatic fronts. For this reason, in response to an important political signal from the Venezuelan government, we reciprocated with another significant political gesture: the Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires in Venezuela was promoted to full Italian Ambassador\u201d.<\/p>\n

Is there an energy dimension connecting the two countries?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is no coincidence that Trump invited Eni to a meeting at the White House with the main American oil companies operating in Venezuela, including Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips and Halliburton.\u00a0 Eni is one of the most active energy companies in Venezuela and we aim to continue playing a leading role in that sector.\u00a0 Not only in energy\u2014where the U.S. President recognised the excellence of our work\u2014but also in healthcare, electricity networks and water: areas in which Italy and Venezuela can cooperate\u201d.<\/p>\n

Does the ongoing political evolution in Venezuela help this process?<\/strong> \u201cNew and interesting prospects are opening up and Italy is well-positioned\u2014thanks to its growing international standing\u2014to seize and develop them.\u00a0 Across Latin America, we are gaining increasing centrality\u201d.<\/p>\n

Is the EU-Mercosur agreement an additional opportunity?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely, both for Italy and Europe.\u00a0 As Minister for International Trade, I have always supported the need to reach an agreement with such an important group of South American countries, ensuring adequate protection for our agriculture\u201d.<\/p>\n

So regarding energy, is Italy fully engaged in Venezuela?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a strategic issue, tied to national interest.\u00a0 Eni\u2019s position in the country and its gas extraction credits will have to be negotiated with Venezuela and the United States\u201d.<\/p>\n

Aren\u2019t you concerned about any last attempts by the Maduro regime that could block this new era of economic initiatives?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEconomic growth is extremely important and requires political stability to flourish.\u00a0 Therefore, the first objective is stabilising Venezuela, ensuring together that civil war is avoided.\u00a0 This awareness is widely shared, from the U.S. administration to various global actors\u201d.<\/p>\n

And if the transition succeeds? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOnce that phase is complete, democratic elections can take place\u201d.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in Italy, pro-Pal and pro-Maduro demonstrations have been burning American flags. Your reaction? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBurning the flag of another nation serves no purpose.\u00a0 One must never confuse a government with its people and history.\u00a0 We must always remember that the United States enabled Italy and Europe to be free from the horrific dictatorships of the past century, from Nazism to Communism.\u00a0 What we must do is look forward, in a spirit of domestic and international dialogue, the only approach that benefits everyone\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Minister Tajani, what does the release of Trentini and the other Italians represent for our country and its geopolitical role? \u201cFirst and foremost, it confirms that we now possess a consolidated and effective know-how, widely recognised, in securing the release of Italians detained abroad.\u00a0 Let me remind you that just a year ago, Cecilia Sala […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":169644,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[398,28],"class_list":["post-169770","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\/169770","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=169770"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":169773,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169770\/revisions\/169773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}