Emmanuel Macron will receive the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni, in Paris on Tuesday, the Elysée Palace announced on Monday June 19, in a still turbulent context between the two countries. This meeting will discuss “bilateral relations” And “the implementation of the Quirinal Treaty”signed in 2021 and structuring the Franco-Italian relationship.
Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni “will discuss European issues and take advantage of this meeting to prepare for the European Council to be held in Brussels on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 June next”according to the Elysee. “There will also be talk of the NATO summit, which will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 July 2023. Their exchanges will be an opportunity to reaffirm their common support for Ukraine”explains the French presidency.
This is the first visit to France of Mme Meloni since his election in the fall of 2022. The two leaders had seen each other informally in Rome just after his appointment, then in bilateral meetings on the sidelines of international events. Franco-Italian relations have gone through some turbulence, particularly around the thorny issue of immigration, since the ultra-conservative government led by Giorgia Meloni came to power in the fall in Rome.
The reactions had been particularly strong in the Peninsula after the remarks, on May 4, of the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, judging Giorgia Meloni “unable to resolve the migration issues on which she was elected”. Since then, the two capitals have been trying to ease tensions.
Mme Meloni travels to Paris to defend Rome’s candidacy for the 2030 World’s Fair before the International Exhibition Bureau. The Italian capital is in competition with Busan (South Korea), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Odessa (Ukraine). Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and South Korea’s President Yoon Seok-youl are also present in France for the same reason.
The World with AFP