Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday blamed a spat with Paris over migration on French internal politics, and warned against “using other governments” to score domestic points.
The row erupted on Thursday when French Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin criticized Rome’s migration policy, saying that Meloni was “incapable of resolving the migration problems” Italy faces.
His comments, which drew parallels between Meloni and National Assembly of France member Marine le Pen, prompted Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani to cancel a planned trip to Paris and demand an apology.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Asked by reporters on Monday whether French President Emmanuel Macron had contacted her, Meloni said: “I spoke to Macron the day before” the row broke out.
The difference between the “private and public dialogue” between Rome and Paris “suggests to me that it is a French internal politics matter, but I would advise caution over using other governments to settle domestic political accounts, because that’s something not usually done,” Meloni said.
The French government on Friday sought to play down the fresh tensions between the two nations over migration, saying that Rome was an “essential partner.”
The French government under Macron has clashed repeatedly with Italian cabinets over the issue, particularly over the management of their common land border and the admission of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea.
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