Russia towards the change of ambassador to Italy: Paramonov ready to replace Razov

Changing of the guard in sight atRussian Embassy in Rome. Second Republicthe current ambassador Sergey Razovseventy years old, in Italy since 2013, is about to leave the leadership of the diplomatic office ad Alexei Vladimirovic Paramonov, current director of the European Department of the Moscow Foreign Ministry. At the moment the news is not confirmed by official sources. Interviewed byAnsathe Russian embassy confines itself to recalling that “the appointments of ambassadors come formalized by a presidential decree” and that “to date no Decree has been published on the Kremlin website”. According to theberaking latest newsthe changeover could take place as early as next month.

Paramonov, born in 1962, former Russian consul in Milan, speaks excellent Italian and unlike Razov has a reputation for moderate. Despite this, last year he had risen to the headlines for having released the news agency Ria Novosti – less than a month after the start of the war – an interview in which he had threatened “irreversible consequences” in relations between Rome and Moscow if Italy had adopted other sanctions against Russia. Defining, among other things, the then Minister of Defense Lorenzo Guerini a “hawk” and the “inspirer” of the anti-Russian campaign in Italy.

Awarded by our country with the honor of Commander of the Order of the Star of Italy (later revoked), Paramonov had been indicated as the next Russian ambassador to the Holy See in place of Alexander Avdeev, which however “resisted” the changeover. The rumor was also circulated by virtue of the very intense relations that the diplomat continues to maintain Vatican: it was to him, a former minister of culture, that the Pope went on 25 February a year ago, just after the invasion of Ukraine, to express his “concern”. In June 2022, interviewed again by Ria Novostihe had praised “the mediation efforts of the Holy See in the conflict in Ukraine” and let it be known that he “maintained an open and confidential dialogue on a series of issues” with the Vatican.