2023-06-12 21:25:00
ROME, June 12 (Xinhua) — Many Italian and international personalities have paid tribute to former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died on Monday at the age of 86.
Mr Berlusconi died of chronic leukemia at San Raffaele Hospital in Milan.
Several national and international leaders have pointed to Mr. Berlusconi’s enormous influence on his country during a political career that spanned three decades.
Italian President Sergio Mattarella said Mr Berlusconi had marked the history of the Republic, and was a “long-time protagonist of Italian politics”.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Mr Berlusconi was “a man who was never afraid to stand up for his convictions”, making him “one of the most important figures in Italian history”.
Mario Draghi, former governor of the European Central Bank and former Italian Prime Minister, for his part hailed Mr Berlusconi’s “extraordinary spirit of initiative and innovation”.
Vatican officials said Pope Francis had sent a telegram to Mr Berlusconi’s family to express his “sincere participation in the mourning of a key figure in Italian political life”.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tweeted that Berlusconi had “led Italy through a period of political transition”.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences, and said Mr Berlusconi was a “major figure in contemporary Italy”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the Italian leader a “true friend”, according to the press.
Italy declared a “national day of mourning” on Wednesday, the day of Mr. Berlusconi’s funeral in Milan. END
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