(Adnkronos) – The promotion to ambassador of former charge d’affaires to Venezuela, Giovanni Umberto De Vito, will help Italy improve relations with the interim leadership and the release of over 40 Italian-Venezuelans currently imprisoned in the South American country, foreign minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday.
“After the release of (aid worker Alberto) Trentini and (businessman Mario) Burlo (on Monday), we decided to restore diplomatic ties with Venezuela, also formally,” Tajani told the Quotidiano Nazionale daily.
“Politically, upgrading Italy’s diplomatic representation to that of an embassy gives us more effective tools and dialogue,” he said.
“It is a sign of willingness to establish a fuller relationship, in response to a positive signal from Caracas,” Tajani noted.
“The decision creates a new climate in relations between Venezuela and Italy. For this reason we are extremely pleased with (interim) president (Delcy) Rodriguez’s move,” he said.
Trentini and Burlo’s release this week followed the freeing of two other Italians, 77-year-old Luigi Gasperin and journalist Biagio Pilieri on Friday, when Rodriguez said she would release a significant number of prisoners including foreign nationals, as a gesture of good will.
However, 42 Italian-Venezuelans are still in jail in Venezuela, of whom 24 are political prisoners, said Tajani.
“The goal is to librate the prisoners one by one, with realism and determination. In such a delicate situation, the key thing is to bring these people home safe and sound,” Tajani stated.
Besides the release of the Italian-Venezuelan prisoners, the government’s priority is to safeguard 170,000 compatriots who are resident in Venezuela and to stabilise the crisis-hit country, where Italian major Eni has extensive investments, he said.
“Energy is a crucial issue for Italy,” Tajani underlined.
“We are working to create the conditions for stability and an orderly transition (from the interim administration led by Maduro’s deputy, Rodrigues) and, when possible, fresh elections,” Tajani said.
