On Monday, Libya’s former Foreign Minister, Abdel-Rahman Shalgham paid tribute to the late Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who passed away today.
He remembered the late Italian Premier as a “dynamic figure who left a substantial imprint on Italy’s political, media, and legal landscapes.”
Shalgham elaborated on Berlusconi’s contributions, noting that Libyan-Italian relations “underwent a remarkable transformation during his leadership of the Italian government.”
A major milestone of this period was the signing of the Friendship Treaty, where Italy agreed to provide reparations to Libyans for its colonial rule. Italy also expressed remorse for the damage endured by Libyans through the years of occupation.
Regarded as a media tycoon in Italy, Berlusconi owned numerous TV channels and newspapers, and was the founder of the influential Forza Italia party.
His significant influence on Italian and Libyan history underscores the powerful role that individuals can play in moulding bilateral relations, and shaping the trajectory of regional politics.
Notably, the former Italian Prime Minister died today in Milan at 86, Italian media reported.
Berlusconi was born in Milan in 1936, and entered the media world in the early 1970’s before turning to politics in the 90’s. He was first elected to the Chamber of Deputies and appointed as Prime Minister in the 1994 general elections. His party, Forza Italia, gained a relative majority only three months after the party was launched.
The three-time premier had suffered from a series of medical ailments over the past several years.
The billionaire media tycoon — worth approximately $7 billion dollars — has had a pacemaker since he was 70 years old but, more recently, underwent heart surgery in 2016 to replace an aortic valve and has also survived a bout with prostate cancer.
Berlusconi sat until his death in the Italian Senate, but did not have a role in Prime Minister Georgia Meloni’s conservative coalition, which now governs the country.
