October 18, 2005
Chávez Promotes Venezuelan cooperation with Europe in Italy

(Venezuelanalysis.com) - 'Following his visit to Spain, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez flew to Italy (...)

The first activity upon Chávez's arrival in Italy was to visit Monte Sacro, near Rome, where Latin America's independence hero made a legendary oath 200 years earlier, in 1805, to fight for the independence of Latin America. Monte Sacro has been a symbol for the struggle against repression ever since the 5th Century BC (...)

In Milan Chávez also attended a conference on Latin America, which high-level representatives from Mexico, Brazil, and Chile also attended. At the conference, Chávez stated that Latin American integration should be accelerated because, 'it is vital for negotiations with the north (...)

Back in Milan, Chávez had a meeting with Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, where he discussed possibilities for increasing commercial relations between Venezuela and Italy.

Later, in an interview with the Italian newspaper, La Reppublica, Berlusconi said that he believes Chávez is a 'pragmatic guy,' who maintains business relations with the U.S. despite ideological differences. 'It is true that there are ideological distances [with the US], but in the end, commercial relations are good. I know [Chávez] for a while now. I also have good relations with him,' said Berlusconi.

In one of his last visits, Chávez met with the leader of Italy's left party, the former Prime Minister Romano Prodi, where they discussed Latin American integration and cooperation with Europe (...)'.