Foreign minister Antonio Tajani has paid tribute to Silvio Berlusconi on the first anniversary of his death, saying he "misses" the flamboyant four-times premier and billionaire media tycoon.
"I miss him," Tajani told public broadcaster Rai's Tg2 news bulletin.
"The defence of freedom is the most important choice he (Berlusconi) made: fewer taxes, less bureaucracy, fair justice,” Tajani said.
Berlusconi "was a major player in international politics," said Tajani, who is co-founder of the conservative Forza Italia party and was elected its leader after Berlusconi's death.
The media mogul managed to bring Russia's president Vladimir Putin closer to Nato, Tajani argued.
"That was an historic event. It was a pity that Putin then pulled away," Tajani added.
Premier Giorgia Meloni also hailed Berlusconi, whom she said had left "an indelible mark on Italy's political history".
"We shared many battles and decisive moments for our nation...also in his memory we will keep doing our utmost to restore vision and greatness to Italy," Meloni stated.
Berlusconi died in hospital in his native Milan on 12 June last year aged 86 after receiving treatment for a lung infection linked to leukaemia.
