{"id":183540,"date":"2026-04-16T10:58:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T08:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/\/2026\/04\/tajani-agli-stati-uniti-lo-spiegheremo-essere-alleati-serve-anche-a-voi-corriere-della-sera\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T14:50:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T12:50:53","slug":"tajani-agli-stati-uniti-lo-spiegheremo-essere-alleati-serve-anche-a-voi-corriere-della-sera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/sala_stampa\/archivionotizie\/interviste\/2026\/04\/tajani-agli-stati-uniti-lo-spiegheremo-essere-alleati-serve-anche-a-voi-corriere-della-sera\/","title":{"rendered":"Tajani: \u00abWe will explain it to the United States: being allies also serves your interests\u00bb (Corriere della Sera)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Minister Antonio Tajani, Italy has protested over Trump\u2019s remarks about the Pope, and he has in turn attacked Giorgia Meloni. What happens now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWith composure and conviction, we will reiterate to our American friends what many in the United States already know very well: Italy is and intends to remain a partner of the United States. A strategic partner. Because it is in our political, economic, cultural and social interest to remain firmly united\u201d.<\/p>\n

Does this mean you will not respond to this double attack?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOf course we will, and we allow ourselves to say: \u2018it also serves your interests\u2019. Just as Italy and Europe need the United States, so too does America need Italy and Europe. Without the unity of the West, the cradle of democracy and freedom, there is a concrete risk that autocracies will prevail\u201d.<\/p>\n

Have there already been contacts?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI have not yet had any contact with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Our commitment now will be to calmly explain our reasons, our interests, and the context in which Italy operates: its economy and its political and security relations in the Mediterranean. And we may also ask how it is possible to attack with such intensity a religious and moral leader such as Pope Leo, and yet expect no condemnation from a friendly government. The Pope leads the Church from Rome: the heart of Christianity is also the capital of Italy, a deeply Catholic nation\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to Trump, Italy does not care if Iran obtains a nuclear weapon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe also said that our oil supply depends entirely on Hormuz. In reality, we receive I believe just over 10% from there. We could easily replace it. But if Hormuz remains closed, oil prices would skyrocket\u201d.<\/p>\n

And the bomb?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor months we have been telling Iran: it is unacceptable for you to have the atomic weapon, because others in the region would seek to acquire it as well. It would trigger a highly dangerous and unacceptable nuclear arms race. So yes, we are very concerned and Iran must not have it. Moreover, we have condemned the violent repression of the Iranian population led by the Revolutionary Guards, which we have included with the EU on the list of terrorist organisations. And we have always condemned Iran and its affiliates for attacks against Israel, Gulf countries and ships transiting the Red Sea\u201d.<\/p>\n

Trump says the Pope does not understand what is happening in Iran.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Pope has a mission: to proclaim the Gospel, which calls for building peace. He is a strong and steady man who knows the world very well, and above all the mechanisms governing relations between states\u201d.<\/p>\n

How will our foreign policy change now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cRelations with the United States do not change because we have different opinions on the Pope\u2019s remarks, on Greenland, on participation in the war in Iran, or on Italian casualties in Afghanistan. The United States is Italy\u2019s and the EU\u2019s principal ally, and we want it to remain so\u201d.<\/p>\n

What will the suspension of the renewal of the defence agreement with Israel entail?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe automatic renewal has been suspended. This is a decision we took in the current context. We will return to discussions with Israel as soon as possible\u201d.<\/p>\n

How did you receive Elly Schlein\u2019s expression of solidarity with Meloni after Trump\u2019s attack? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI would have done the same. If my country\u2019s head of government had been attacked by a foreign head of state, I would have defended my Prime Minister and my country. Some call it \u2018insincere solidarity\u2019? The opposition tries in every way to put the government in difficulty, preferring criticism over proposals. But there must be issues on which a country\u2019s political forces can unite. A shared basis of assessments and actions is necessary. It is important for Italy, not for this or that government\u201d.<\/p>\n

You are leaving for China, a trip that seems almost like a challenge to the United States. Is that the case?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis trip had clearly been planned months ago. I am pleased to go and speak with the Chinese leadership about everything. We will address the emergency of the war in Iran and in particular the crisis in Hormuz. The closure of the strait stops oil flows, drives prices up, but also blocks fertilisers. With the Chinese leadership we want to discuss how to stop this war in order to avoid a crisis that would first and foremost spread to Africa from a food and humanitarian perspective\u201d.<\/p>\n

In Berlin you took part in a conference on Sudan. What was decided? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a civil war we cannot forget because its effects are catastrophic: millions of internally displaced people, 5 million in neighbouring countries alone. For this reason I made an appeal, and Italian diplomacy will work to make first and foremost the Arab states that support one of the factions take responsibility. Military support to these groups at war must end; leaders must be brought to negotiate a peace that is possible. In the meantime we must deal with the humanitarian and health emergency: as the Foreign Ministry I launched an aid programme, \u2018Italy for Sudan\u2019, to deliver concrete assistance. We have also offered additional funds to the FAO\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Berlusconi family has imposed a change in the leadership of Forza Italia. How do you see your future and that of the party?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cGood. In any case, I would say we will talk about it again in a few days\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Minister Antonio Tajani, Italy has protested over Trump\u2019s remarks about the Pope, and he has in turn attacked Giorgia Meloni. What happens now? \u201cWith composure and conviction, we will reiterate to our American friends what many in the United States already know very well: Italy is and intends to remain a partner of the United […]","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":183454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[397,28],"class_list":["post-183540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviste","tag-america-settentrionale","tag-ministro"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183540","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\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183540"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":183541,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183540\/revisions\/183541"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esteri.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}