On Tuesday 19th March, Senator Giulio Terzi took the floor in the plenary of the Italian Senate during the discussion on the European Council meeting scheduled on 21-22 March in Brussels. Sen. Terzi highlighted several key points concerning the war in Ukraine, the rigged Presidential elections in the Russia Federation, the possibility to use Russian frozen assets abroad, and the situation in Belarus.
On Ukraine and Russia, Terzi said: “The position of the Italian Government on Europe is crystal-clear: we confirm the EU’s support to Kiev through the assistance fund for Ukraine, more effective sanctions and the possibility of confiscating Russian assets. It is also vital to pay attention to symbolically relevant and self-explanatory cases showing the worsening of the violent, totalitarian environment in Russia: the death of Alexei Navalny after almost two years of cruel treatment in detention, and the rigged Russian elections held disregarding international law. The real winner, the moral winner of those so-called elections were Yulia Navalnaya, real representative of a truly democratic and free Russia and his Alexei, Alexei Navalny. It is essential to reiterate the condemnation of Putin’s illegal actions that are forcing his people and his country to slide back in full authoritarianism.”
With regard to Belarus, Terzi reiterated the Government’s support to democratic President Tsikhanouskaya and focused in particular on the dire conditions facing Belarusian citizens abroad: “Belarus also deserves our support. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, has been opposing the Belarusian regime since 2020 when Lukashenko hijacked the presidential elections through what can only be described as a coup d’état. Today, the crackdown of Lukashenko has no borders, as tens of thousands of Belarusian expatriates cannot renew their passports from abroad and are condemned to live in statelessness. The voice of Europe must be heard, and that is what the resolution by the majority is about.”