“Until two years ago, Europe was living not in a belle epoque but in an epoque de paix,” said the president at the new offices in Palazzo Grazioli.
“Which we seek and hope to succeed in defending, preserving and fully restoring by eliminating, removing, extinguishing winds and fires of war that within Europe and beside Europe have been manifesting themselves for some time.
“Today’s world is increasingly integrated and interconnected, hence the need for collaborative and non-conflictual relations, and the role of the press is fundamental in this field too.”
Mattarella told the world’s journalists present that “the role of the free press is decisive; it is a guardian of people’s freedom”.
He also joked that he had forgotten his honorary membership card for the club and hoped they would let him in anyway.
Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who inherited the leadership of Berlusconi’s centre-right Forza Italia (FI) party from the billionaire who died last June, said “Italy’s role must be as a bringer of peace” as he helped unveil the new press club offices.
Palazzo Grazioli, near the central Piazza Venezia, was the residence of late three-time prime minister and media mogul Berlusconi from 1995 to 2021.
ANSA
