(Adnkronos) – Italy “is certain” that it will have “more fruitful” ties with Venezuela following the release of four Italian prisoners after a declaration of goodwill last week by the interim government which replaced deposed leftist president Nicolas Maduro.
“We continue our work, paying great attention,” foreign minister Antonio Tajani told public broadcaster Rai’s TG2 news bulletin’s Italy-Europe programme.
“And we are certain that the new administration will enable Rome and Caracas to have more fruitful ties,” Tajani said.
Venezuela’s interim leadership announced on Friday it would release a significant number of prisoners including foreign nationals, as a gesture of good will. The move followed demands from human rights groups, international bodies and opposition figures after Maduro’s ousting and transfer to the US for trial on drugs, weapons and ‘narco-terrorism’ charges.
Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodriguez, was appointed interim president after the US attack on Venezuela on 3 January in which Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured and flown to New York.
