"Happy birthday to her and to his people that he loves her, as the election results that are before the eyes of all and we all appreciate." Words of Silvio Berlusconi, a little over a year ago, in November 2009, during an official visit to Belarus. Even then, had sparked controversy as politicians Pier Ferdinando Casini and Piero Fassino, and today they sound even more jarring.It had been an opening of the West do not agree with the other leaders of Europe's last dictator, Aleksandr Lukashenko has defined as the U.S. State Department. A tyrant who denies human rights and freedom of the press and have been trying to juggle the best showing opening hours on issues dear to the West, now riavvicinadosi to Russia of Vladimir Putin.
It is no coincidence, perhaps, that Berlusconi is placed at the center of this triangle is dangerous, being a close friend of Putin and carving out the role of "cleared" the dictator of Belarus. The relationship between the three leaders and their countries can not relate, as always, trade and economic issues of great importance.
When in recent years relations have deteriorated Lukashenko with the Kremlin, Moscow did not hesitate to raise the price of gas and oil. And not to succumb to the blackmail of Belarus on gas pipelines, as also happened with Ukraine, Putin has decided to build together with the German Northstream, dug under the Baltic Sea.
But now that the West once again raise its voice to restore the visa ban on Lukashenko in Europe, we can expect a rapprochement with Putin perhaps through the good offices of Mr Berlusconi. Over the past two years the Premier has woven the fabric of economic relations between Italy and Belarus.
The visit of November 2009 was made to represent all of Finmeccanica who had signed substantial contracts and to pave the way for a subsequent descent of Italian entrepreneurs. Dropped that in fact there was in February 2010 when the former Deputy Minister for Economic Development Adolfo Urso landed in Minsk with a large following of Italian companies.
The idea was to turn Belarus into a new business to Timisoara Northern Italy. On the table, the government has put a package of 215 million concessional credit lines, the SACE has raised the insurance ceiling from 2 to 50 million, Mediobanca and Intesa Sanpaolo had approved guidelines to support the export of capital goods.
It seems a century past: today Urso is no longer the government and Berlusconi is strongly contested by the columns of Fli and the EU is hard to put back on trial Lukashenko.
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