He said Italy had read the proposal to grant Austrian citizenship en masse to speakers of German and the Romance language Ladino in the South Tyrol region as a provocative move. South Tyrol, known as Alto Adige in Italian, became part of Italy after World War I, but tension lingered for decades after a post-World War II vote by citizens on whether to remain in Italy or join Austria. Italian fears over Austria upsetting a hard-won balance with the region's ethnic minorities were aroused by the citizenship proposal released over the weekend. Neubauer also said that Italian athletes who received Austrian citizenship could compete for Austria, further stirring emotions, as many of Italy's elite winter sports athletes hail from the mountainous South Tyrol region. Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said the question of double-citizenship would have to be faced "with great delicacy."

Source: ABC News December 19, 2017 13:45 UTC