Italian Ambassador volunteers as Lukashenka's lobbyist

The Ambassador of Italy to Belarus, Arnaldo Abeti, decided to became another defender of Lukashenka.

Asked by Belarusian journalists what he thinks about  possible lifting of visa restrictions from Belarusian foreign minister Uladzimir Makei, Arnaldo Abeti said:

“I deeply respect Mr Makei and regard him as a clever man. I suppose he should be allowed entering the EU to have a possibility of conducting a dialogue.”

Asked if it was his personal opinion or Italy's stance, Abeti stressed:

“I think this is the stance of Italy,and not only Italy.”

He noted the EU continued to insist on the release of political prisoners and “looks for other ways to improve the situation that doesn't bring any benefits to anyone,” BelaPAN news agency reports.

“I agree with the opinion that we need a dialogue. It doesn't mean I do not see the negative things, but I focus on looking for a solution suitable for both sides and I am in favour of keeping a critical dialogue. The door should not be shut. All opportunities should be used. But the political prisoners must be released,” Abeti said.

The diplomat reminded that Belarus and the EU had had a rather successful dialogue before the post-election protests were dispersed on December 19, 2010. For this reason, the EU “fears to take any steps and actions until political prisoners are released”, the Italian Ambassador said.

“The very idea that such events can repeat again is taken very negatively,” Abeti said.

Speaking about Belarusian-Italian bilateral relations, the diplomat noted they were “good in general”. “There are political obstacles, we all know which ones, that slowed down the development of the relations at the official level,” Abeti said. “But on no account did they freeze the  relations between people. In 2012, Italy issued more than 40,000 visas, 18,000 of which were given to children who visit Italy as part of recuperative programmes.”

It should be reminded that Lukashenka's European lobbyists actively promote the idea of lifting visa sanctions from Belarusian foreign minister Uladzimir Makei.

As for Italy, country's notorious former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi actively advocated for Lukashenka's interests in Europe. He had to retire shortly afterwards.