Antonio Tajani, tycoon’s ‘number two’, tries to calm the waters by stating that his party is “for NATO” and against the invasion
The right-wing bloc that won the September 25 general election in Italy has been in turmoil before it even took office. After tough negotiations to share the key views of the next executive, conservatives are experiencing an internal crisis over the controversial statements made in recent days by Silvio Berlusconi, leader of the Forza Italia party, in which he announced the invasion of Ukraine. justified by Moscow and defended his historical friend Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. Both are said to have recently exchanged “very sweet” letters and bottles of vodka and Lambrusco wine.
In a tenuous atmosphere due to Berlusconi’s position, consultations began this Thursday between the head of state, Sergio Mattarella, with the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, as well as representatives of the political forces. Barring surprise, these talks will end today with the order that Giorgia Meloni, winner of the recent elections, form a government. Although she has everything in her sights to become Italy’s next prime minister (the first woman to hold the position), the leader of the Fratelli d’Italia (FdI, Brothers of Italy) party is concerned about the consequences of the controversies can have. have Berlusconi’s statement.
After Meloni issued him an ultimatum on Wednesday, in which he assured that only those who respect Italy’s position within the European Union and NATO can be part of his Executive, this Thursday’s ‘number two’ of Forza Italia, Antonio Tajani. The former president of the European Parliament, who has many votes to become the next foreign minister, assured that both Berlusconi and the whole party “are for NATO, Europe and transatlantic relations and against the unacceptable invasion of Ukraine.” by Russia.
Upon his arrival in Brussels, where he took part in a meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP), Tajani emphasized that Forza Italia’s position is “clear and not up for discussion”. He also had the support of both Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP. While the former regarded him as “a convinced pro-European” who has been working for years to make Italy “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 “challenge” his commitment to Western values and attributed the controversy to the “terrible custom” in Italy “of turning political discussion into gossip using stolen phrases.”
Less condescending than the President of the European Parliament and the leader of the EPP was Ukraine’s ambassador to Rome, Yaroslav Melnyk. After the diplomat expressed the concern of the Kiev government about a possible change in Rome’s stance on the conflict with Russia, the diplomat expressed his wish that Berlusconi’s statements were only “in a personal capacity” and not the the next executive’s official position. Unlike ‘il Cavaliere’, Meloni has been assuring western allies for months that with her in power, Rome’s support for Kiev will not change. However, former prime minister and chairman of the Five Star Movement party, Giuseppe Conte, yesterday did not believe that “it may be acceptable for Forza Italia to get the foreign ministry” after Berlusconi’s “serious and unacceptable” demonstrations. Conte accused the right of “undermining Italy’s image” and “causing a serious credibility problem abroad”.
Source: La Verdad
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