Fury in Italy after Maria Zaharova's ironic comments about the collapse of the medieval tower in the center of Rome. The Russian ambassador, summoned to give explanations
Diplomatic tensions between Italy and Russia are rising again after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova mocked the partial collapse of the medieval tower in central Rome, comparing the incident to an “imminent collapse” of the Italian economy.
Maria Zaharova, accused of mocking the collapse of the tower in the center of Rome. PHOTO: Profimedia
The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday, November 3, that the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Rome will be summoned for explanations, due to comments considered offensive by Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, after the incident in central Rome, where part of the Torre dei Conti, a medieval tower near the Colosseum, collapsed during restoration work.
The summoning of the Russian ambassador could take place on Tuesday, November 4, according to diplomatic sources quoted by the EFE agency, and the aim is to express the Italian government's dissatisfaction with the tone of Moscow's statements.
Maria Zaharova's offensive statements
Maria Zakharova reacted on her Telegram channel, using the tower's collapse to launch a tongue-in-cheek attack on the Italian government over its support for Ukraine.
“As long as the Italian government continues to waste its taxpayers' money unnecessarily, Italy will collapse completely, from the economy to the towers. I would like to remind you that in May of this year, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that “Italian support for Ukraine, including military aid and contributions paid through EU mechanisms, amounts to approximately 2.5 billion euros, of which approximately 1 billion euros for refugees, 310 million euros for the support of the state budget and 93 million euros for humanitarian activities», wrote Maria Zaharova, on Monday, on Telegram, according to the Italian press.
The comment was considered by the Italian authorities as disrespectful to a real tragedy and an unacceptable gesture of propaganda, especially in the context in which several workers were injured in the incident in Rome, including two Romanians, one of whom was still trapped under the rubble.
The strained relations between Italy and Russia
The summons of the Russian ambassador comes amid a series of repeated diplomatic tensions between Rome and Moscow. As “Adevărul” wrote at the time, in July, Russia included the president of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, and other Italian officials on a list of people accused of “Russophobic behavior”, notes Agerpres.
The Kremlin's gesture then came as a reaction to several statements by the Italian president, who, on a visit to Hiroshima, said that Russia was the “promoter of a new and dangerous nuclear narrative” that normalizes the idea of using nuclear weapons in conflicts.
A month earlier, the same Italian leader compared the Russian invasion of Ukraine to “traits of the Nazi Third Reich” during a ceremony at the University of Marseille.
The Torre dei Conti incident
Meanwhile, Italian authorities continue rescue operations at Torre dei Conti, a medieval monument built in the 13th century by Pope Innocent III.
The tower, located halfway between Piazza Venezia and the Colosseum, was to be turned into a museum and cultural space, but part of the 29-meter structure collapsed during restoration work.
“We are trying to extract him alive, but the situation is complex because of the risk of further collapses,” said a spokesman for the Italian fire brigade, referring to the Romanian worker trapped under the rubble.
Another Romanian was transported to the hospital with serious head injuries, but is out of danger, and two other workers suffered minor injuries and refused hospitalization.
We remind you that on Monday, November 3, two successive collapses of the tower were reported: the first around 10:30 GMT, and the second about an hour and a half apart.
