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In this file photo taken on Nov 12, 2011, Berlusconi leaves Palazzo Grazzioli, his personal residence in Rome, to go to the presidential palace, to formally submit his resignation as prime minister to Italy’s President. — AFP photo
PARIS (June 13): Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who dominated Italian politics for decades, died on Monday aged 86, drawing tributes from across the world.
Here is a roundup of reactions ranging from Russian President Vladimir Putin to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak:
– ‘True friend’ –
Putin hailed Berlusconi as a “true friend” and described his death as an “irreparable loss and a great sorrow”.
“For me, Silvio was a cherished person and a true friend,” Putin said in a telegram to the Italian president released by the Kremlin.
– ‘Most influential’ Italian –
The Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described him as “one of the most influential men in Italy’s history”.
“Berlusconi was above all a fighter. He was a man who was not afraid to defend his convictions,” Meloni said in a video posted on Twitter.
Berlusconi, who had suffered ill health for years, was head of his right-wing Forza Italia party, a junior partner in Meloni’s coalition government.
– ‘Dedication’ –
UN chief Antonio Guterres was “saddened” by the news of Berlusconi’s death, the secretary-general’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
As Italy’s “longest-serving postwar head of government, Mr Berlusconi will be remembered for the dedication with which he served his country,” Dujarric said, passing on Guterres’s condolences to the people of Italy and the former prime minister’s family.
– ‘Huge impact’ –
Berlusconi “made a huge impact on Italian politics over several decades and our thoughts are with the Italian people and his family,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman told reporters.
– ‘Great fighter’ –
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Twitter that “Gone is the great fighter”, along with a photo of the two.
– ‘Unforgettable’ –
AC Milan, the football club which won a host of domestic and European titles under Berlusconi’s ownership, called him “unforgettable.”
Carlo Ancelotti, first a player then a coach for the team, led the tributes.
“Today’s sadness doesn’t erase the happy moments spent together,” Ancelotti tweeted with a photo of him standing beside Berlusconi.
Former legendary coach of AC Milan, Arrigo Sacchi, hailed the memory of “a fabulous friend to whom I owe everything”, cited by the Ansa news agency.
– ‘Forever with us’ –
AC Monza, the club owned since 2018 by Berlusconi and his long-standing business partner Adriano Galliani, said the former Italian prime minister’s death left “A gap that will never be filled”.
“Forever with us. Thank you for everything presidente,” the club said in a statement.
When Monza was purchased in 2018, the club was in the third tier of Italian football. With the help of Berlusconi and Galliani, it reached the top flight last season, for the first time in its history.
– ‘Loved him, hated him’ –
Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi said that Berlusconi had “made history”, even if he was controversial.
“Many loved him, many hated him: everyone today must recognise that his impact on political but also economic, sporting and television life was unprecedented,” he said.
– ‘Ignited and polarised’ debate –
Berlusconi “ignited and polarised the public debate perhaps like no other”, former prime minister Giuseppe Conte said on Facebook.
“And even those who faced him as a political opponent must recognise that he never lacked courage, passion, (and) tenacity,” he wrote.
– ‘Thinking of’ all Italians –
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meeting Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani in Washington, offered Washington’s condolences over the death of Berlusconi.
“We’re thinking of the Italian people at this time,” Blinken said at the start of a joint news conference.
– ‘Major figure’ –
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Italian former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who died on Monday, as a “major figure in contemporary Italy”.
“(So departs) a major figure of contemporary Italy who had occupied the centre stage of the political scene for many years,” the French presidency said in a statement in which Macron offered “his sincere condolences to his relatives and the Italian people”. — AFP
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