"Here in Italy, from some of the high hills of Rome, we often hear accusations: Russia is to blame for all the current problems of the current world order, be it in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, or Africa. I can firmly state that these accusations are completely untrue: they are blatantly false. The facts bear witness to the exact opposite." A harsh attack on Italian authorities, particularly at the Quirinale Palace, even though not explicitly named, was made by Russian Ambassador to Italy Alexei Paramonov, who sought to reiterate Moscow's position on the global stage in an official speech at his residence for the Russia Day celebrations, which was deserted by prominent Italian politicians.

"It was NATO itself," he continued before hundreds of guests at the historic Amabelek villa, "that, starting in the mid-1990s, insistently, without any justification, pushed its borders eastward: it proceeded with the political and military assimilation of the countries of Eastern Europe and the states that were once part of the USSR, committing itself to plotting real, not imaginary, threats against today's Russia. In this situation, Moscow had, and still has, no other way out than to take its own destiny into its own hands and defend its national interests independently. It is difficult to imagine that a sovereign state, with a centuries-old history, could act to the detriment of its own interests. This is the behavior of only states and leaders who have lost their own sovereignty and independence, ultimately transformed into vassals and servants of the 'powerful powers of the world,' to the detriment of the interests of their own people."

Paramonov added that Moscow calls on "all those who, once again, are contemplating a new campaign towards the East, a 'Drang nach Osten', to repent, to remember their responsibilities for the crimes of the past and to stop dragging peoples into new wars", citing the various aggressions suffered by Russia, including the Nazi one.

"The Special Military Operation" in Ukraine, he argued, "is a response to the West's hybrid war against Russia, a response to attempts to limit our sovereign development capabilities, undermine our legitimate political and economic interests, destabilize the internal political order, and relegate Russia to the margins of world history. All of this is objectively impossible. We will never allow it." Paramonov also warned that "our adversaries have failed to isolate Russia on the international stage. Our country continues to actively participate in the work of the UN, successfully cooperates with partners in the G20, BRICS, ASEAN, and other platforms, operating across the vast Eurasian space within the framework of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We are convinced that it is precisely within these forums that a new model of world order is emerging, based on mutual respect, a balance of interests, the sovereign equality of states, the diversity of civilizations, the indivisibility of security, compliance with international law, and a clear rejection of unipolarity and the "bloc" mentality.

Finally, a conditional opening: "Russia is alien to the 'besieged fortress' mentality, and the country remains open to the world, to dialogue and cooperation, including with Western countries, including Italy, provided they renounce their hostile attitude and any attempt to trample on our country's legitimate interests." Among the guests were Francesco Toscano, president of Sovereign and Popular Democracy, the publisher Sandro Teti, Moni Ovadia, and Gianluca Savoini, the man behind the Hotel Metropol scandal, which was later shelved and involved alleged covert Russian financing of the League.

(Unioneonline)

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