Italy's head of state Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday paid tribute to United States president Joe Biden, who last week ended his re-election bid and endorsed vice-president Kamala Harris to succeed him as the Democratic candidate.
"The thanks of the international community goes to Presiden Biden for his valuable service and leadership," Mattarella said in traditional remarks to parliamentary reporters before the summer recess.
Mattarella said he was "surprised" by reports or opinions that the outcome of any election, including the US presidential race in November "as if their undoubted importance should condition our choices".
"I would like to think that no one plans their (political) orientations on the basis of what voters in other countries decide rather than our national interest and the principles enshrined in our Constitution," he said.
“Some aspects of the presidential events in the US highlight the vitality of democratic confrontation in that great country," Mattarella continued, in an apparent reference to Biden's upending of the White House race with his announcement on Sunday that capped a tumultuous period in US politics that began with his at times incoherent debate performance against Donald Trump (now Republican presidential candidate) in a debate on 27 June.
"Italy has relations of traditional friendship and closeness with Washington," Mattarella underlined.
Italy-US ties matured after World War II with the "generous" post-war Marshall Plan to help rebuild Europe "and the support for our democracy, consolidated by the North Atlantic Alliance and numerous other international organizations," Mattarella said.
"The bonds of shared values of our two peoples strengthen relations between the states and will enable their continued growth," Mattarella concluded.
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