Macron meets Meloni in Rome

On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron conducted discussions with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome amid ongoing European debates on immigration issues.

Earlier that Tuesday morning, President Macron attended the funeral of former Italian President Giorgio Napolitano (2006-2015), who passed away at the age of 98.

Macron had previously received Prime Minister Meloni in Paris in June.

The two leaders arrived together at the Chigi Palace, the seat of the Italian Prime Minister's office in the capital, according to photographers from Agence France-Presse.

In recent statements, both Macron and Meloni have called for de-escalation and expressed a shared desire to work together in managing the influx of migrants. This comes after thousands of individuals arrived on the small Italian island of Lampedusa, located in northeast Italy, just 150 kilometers from the Tunisian coast in the Mediterranean Sea, in mid-September.

Emmanuel Macron stated on television Sunday evening, "We cannot leave the Italians alone."

Prime Minister Meloni promptly responded, expressing her appreciation for Macron's statement and emphasizing that it was of "great importance."

The two leaders are set to meet again on Friday in Malta during the tenth summit of Southern European Union countries.

The number of arrivals in Italy via boats from North Africa has been on the rise, with the Ministry of Interior reporting over 133,000 individuals this year, compared to 70,000 during the same period in 2022. However, these figures have not yet surpassed those recorded in 2016 when over 181,000 individuals, including many Syrian refugees fleeing the war, arrived in Italy.

Relations between Rome and Paris became strained in November 2022 when Italy refused to allow the humanitarian vessel "Ocean Viking" and its 230 migrants to dock. France, in response, permitted the vessel to dock in its ports, condemning Rome's "unacceptable" behavior.

Prime Minister Meloni has criticized European countries for their inaction and failure to proactively receive migrants, while Italy remains on the frontlines of the crisis.


AFP