Antonio Tajani, ‘number two’ of the tycoon, tries to calm the waters by stating that his party is “in favor of NATO” and against the invasion
The right-wing bloc that won the general elections held in Italy on September 25 is already on the rampage even before it has begun to govern. After the tough negotiations to share the most important positions of the next Executive, the conservatives are experiencing an internal crisis due to the controversial statements in recent days by Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the Forza Italia party, in which he justified the invasion of Ukraine ordered by Moscow and defended his historical friend Vladimir Putin, Russian president. Both would have recently exchanged “very sweet” letters and bottles of vodka and Lambrusco wine.
In a rarefied atmosphere due to Berlusconi’s position, the round of consultations between the head of state, Sergio Mattarella, began this Thursday with the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, as well as with the representatives of the political forces. Except for surprise, these conversations will conclude today with the order that Giorgia Meloni, winner of the recent elections, form a government. Although she has everything in her sights to become the next prime minister of Italy (the first woman to hold the position), the president of the Fratelli d’Italia (FdI, Brothers of Italy) party is concerned about the repercussion that the controversies may have Berlusconi’s statement.
After Meloni gave him an ultimatum on Wednesday, assuring that only those who respect Italy’s position within the European Union and NATO can be part of his Executive, this Thursday the ‘number two’ of Forza Italia, Antonio Tajani. The former president of the European Parliament, who has many ballots to be the next foreign minister, assured that both Berlusconi and the entire party are “in favor of NATO, Europe and transatlantic relations and against the unacceptable invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
Upon his arrival in Brussels, where he participated in a meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP), Tajani stressed that Forza Italia’s position is “clear and not under discussion.” He also received the support of both Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP. While the former considered him “a convinced pro-European” who has been working for years so that Italy is “at the heart of Europe”, the latter described him as a “guarantee of a pro-European and pro-Atlantic position” in Italy.
Berlusconi himself, in a note to which the newspaper ‘Corriere della Sera’ has had access, assured this Thursday that no one “can put into discussion” his commitment to Western values and attributed the controversy to the “terrible habit” existing in Italy “of turning political discussion into gossip using stolen phrases.”
kyiv trusts that ‘il Cavaliere’ spoke “only in a personal capacity”
Less condescending than the president of the European Parliament and the leader of the EPP was the Ukrainian ambassador in Rome, Yaroslav Melnyk. After showing the concern of the kyiv Government over a possible change in Rome’s position regarding the conflict with Russia, the diplomat expressed his wish that Berlusconi’s statements were only “in a personal capacity” and did not reflect the official position of the next Executive . Unlike ‘il Cavaliere’, Meloni has been assuring Western allies for months that, with her in power, there will be no change in Rome’s support for kyiv. However, the former prime minister and president of the Five Star Movement party, Giuseppe Conte, did not believe yesterday that “it may be acceptable for Forza Italia to obtain the Foreign Ministry” after the “serious and unacceptable” demonstrations by Berlusconi. Conte accused the right of “undermining Italy’s image” and generating “a serious credibility problem abroad.”
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