US intervention in Venezuela is legitimate, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Monday, arguing that Washington acted in response to security threats linked to organised crime.
“We believe that military intervention is not suitable for resolving issues,” Tajani said in an interview with RTL 102.5. “But US intervention in Venezuela is legitimate given the threat they perceived, and this will emerge in Maduro’s trial.”
Tajani referred to the role of drug trafficking and intelligence evidence expected to be presented in proceedings against deposed President Nicolás Maduro. “Drug trafficking is also a tool for attacking other countries,” he said. “From this perspective, to protect one’s own security, intervention is legitimate.”
The deputy prime minister said Italy had long denounced the Maduro government. “Few people in recent years have denounced the Maduro dictatorship. We have always done so,” Tajani said. “Others underestimated the Maduro regime. Today Venezuela is freer.”
He added that Italy was now focused on supporting a democratic transition. “Now let’s work for a democratic transition, for the rule of law,” he said.
Opposition parties had earlier criticised the government for their silence on the matter.
Working to release Alberto Trentini
Tajani also addressed the case of Alberto Trentini, an Italian aid worker held in Venezuela for more than a year on conspiracy charges. He said Rome was doing “the possible and the impossible” to secure his release.
“I spoke with our ambassador in Caracas until last night,” Tajani said. “We are working and trying everything possible and impossible. We hope that dialogue with Rodríguez will be easier to bring home a person who has done no harm.”
The foreign minister said around 20 Italians were being held as political prisoners in Venezuela. “We must guarantee our community and the release of the Italian political prisoners,” he said. “Not because they have committed any wrongdoing.”
Asked whether the US operation could lead to wider global escalation, Tajani said Venezuela should be seen as a special case. “Drug trafficking is a specific issue,” he said. “It concerns that part of Latin America, from Venezuela to Colombia, where there are terrorists who arm themselves thanks to drug trafficking.”
He rejected comparisons with other geopolitical flashpoints, including Taiwan. “These matters must be kept clearly distinct,” he said.
Tajani also commented on remarks by US President Donald Trump about annexing Greenland. “We’ll see what Donald Trump’s real intentions are on Greenland,” he said. “But the EU must take its own position and guarantee the independence of a territory that is part of the Danish Crown.”
Turning to European security, Tajani said the changing international landscape required stronger cooperation. “We need to strengthen European security,” he said. “It was the dream of De Gasperi and Berlusconi.”
He added that coordination was no longer sufficient. “We need a European defence, something more than coordination,” Tajani said. “We must also strengthen security beyond defence, such as cybersecurity.”
