Berlusconi had to defend his meeting with Lukashenka

Italian Prime Minister didn’t want to draw too much attention to a visit of one of the last Europe’s dictators, but nevertheless found himself in an embarrassing situation, Italian Corriere della Sera writes.

After a visit to Rome, the Belarusian ruler said nobody demanded him to carry out reforms, Mauricio Caprara writes for Corriere della Sera.

According to the author of the article, Silvio Berlusconi is now not only a friend of Vladimir Putin, a former KGB officer (the Italian premier once called himself a lawyer of the latter), but also a friend of the Belarusian ruler with a more modest army career as a border guard. The “patriarch of Italian and international politics”, as called by Lukashenka during the dinner, broke the 14-year isolation of Minsk, imposed by the US and EU for repressions against the opposition.

Berlusconi refused to have a joint press conference with Lukashenka not to draw too much attention to the visit of one of the last Europe’s dictator. However, Lukashenka had to answer questions of journalist on the next day after his dinner in Chigi palace he visited the Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Judging by public statements, the Italian government was discussing an issue of freedoms in Belarus with the Belarusian guest. Lukashenka said none European leader had asked him about any reforms.

The Italian prime minister had to defend himself in Warsaw yesterday: he had met with Lukashenka because “it is always preferable to talk”. According to Berlusconi, Belarus should be pushed to reach a certain level of democracy to have the right to be called a European country. The country is as ready as Turkey to join the EU, but Minsk wants to overcome the isolation.

Unlike his Italian colleague, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk was more restraint. He said rapprochement with Minsk was possible only on conditions of “progress in democracy” and “respect for human rights in Belarus”.

"We remain critical of the standards of democracy in Belarus," Tusk stressed.

Information agencies reported earlier referring to source in the Italian government that a meeting of Berlusconi and Lukashenka was “not a bilateral initiative, but fits in the European context”.

The representatives of Italia and Belarus discussed democratic standards for rapprochement of Belarus and the European Union during the dinner, the sources noted.

Answering to question about advice of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi to Lukashenka, the Belarusian dictator said: “Belarus doesn’t need anybody’s advice”. “This 9Berlusconi – Italian prime minister) is a patriarch of the international politics of the whole world,” Lukashenka said. “Whatever dictator he may be, how he is called, 75 per cent of Italians trust him,” the Belarusian ruler said.