In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Tricarico stated that denying landing at a base in Italy does not harm the U.S. "The first rule: never let your guard down at military bases shared with the Americans. It's true, there are agreements, but, not out of distrust, maximum caution is necessary because not all U.S. aircraft crews are aware of it." He also conveyed that he does not doubt the U.S., but that eyes must be kept wide open in such situations. "To be clear, I do not doubt them. They are friends, as well as allies. We fought side by side in the Balkans. I speak from experience and cite the Cermis cable car accident of 1998 (20 dead, ed.), which was caused by a Marine aircraft crew that did not adhere to the flight rules of U.S. units stationed in Aviano, where the 31st Fighter Squadron operates under NATO law. Those pilots, who were never convicted in the U.S., deceitfully used the Alliance's flight plan, and therefore not their own," he said. He emphasizes that the Americans could only be in trouble in Europe in one case. "The real problem is if one day all of Europe were to deny the United States the bases they currently have. There is a common language, certainly not as extreme as in Spain, but a middle ground could be found to avoid problems like those in Sigonella. As Italians, we have always welcomed them with great friendship, but when politics gets involved, everything becomes complicated. The truth is that we must get used to their gradual withdrawal from Europe: it is important that it happens without any fragility that we would pay dearly for," he concluded.