ROME, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Italy staked out middle ground on Venezuela this week by calling for elections soon in Venezuela, departing from its former stance but stopping short of joining other European Union members.
Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi, addressing lawmakers Tuesday, said his government wants "new presidential elections as soon as possible" in Venezuela that are "free, transparent and credible," alleging that the 2018 election which President Nicolas Maduro won was "invalidated".
Maduro won a reelection in the polls last year but National Assembly president and opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself the interim president of the South American country days after Maduro was sworn in, with the apparent backing of countries including the United States.
Madura, who won 68 percent of the vote in the election, has accused the White House of ordering and planning a "coup" in the United States.
In the wake of the division in Venezuela, most European Union states excluding Italy backed opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president. Italy, however, vetoed a European Union resolution in support of Guaido, saying that Venezuela is a sovereign state and that Maduro's electoral victory should stand and that it does not want "another Libya."
The Euobserver, an independent online newspaper based in Brussels, reported recently that the Italian stance was a result of divided domestic politics, citing EU diplomats. Italy hasn't given a proper reason for its departure in stance from other EU members, but it has previously cited concerns about Italian nationals in Venezuela, and some EU countries suspected the ruling coalition's friendly ties with Russia, it reported.
Guaido sent a delegation to Rome this week in an apparent effort to convince Italy to change its mind. The delegation appeared to have succeeded, at least to some extent, as Italy moved closer to Guaido in its stance.
Milanesi said Italy called on Venezuela to hold "new presidential elections as soon as possible."
"Italy has tried to find a position between where it stood before the visit and the position held by the rest of the European Union," Giuliano Bifolchi, director of the analysis unit at the Association of Studies, Research, and Internationalization in Eurasia and Africa.
It is not clear yet what the latest developments mean for the European Union, which still lacks unanimity on a position about Venezuela. Italy's new stance is closer to that of the rest of the European Union, but still not the same as many other EU members.
Bifolchi said Italy's recent moves are consistent with a trend of Italy aligning its views with those of the European Union over time.
"The new Italian government enjoys the reputation as the European Union's rebel but in reality generally falls in line with European policies after some time," Bifolchi said, referring to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, which has been in power since June 2018.
Nicola Missaglia, a research fellow with the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, said the difference between Italy and other EU members can be seen as a symbol of eroding ties within the bloc.
"This is a very challenging period for European Union," Missaglia said, in reference to Brexit, migrant issues, slow economic growth, the global trade frictions, and other difficult issues facing the bloc.
