Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ROME, June 4 (Xinhua) — Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron held bilateral talks here on Tuesday on various issues including trade and relations with the United States, Italian media reported.
The talks were expected to help ease current tensions in relations, the ANSA news agency notes. France and Italy are traditional allies and the EU’s second and third largest economies, but their governments disagree on a number of issues and belong to different political camps: Meloni leads a right-wing nationalist cabinet, while Macron is a pro-European centrist.
As ANSA points out, the two leaders also differ in their approach to the United States: J. Meloni seeks to establish close ties with President Donald Trump and play the role of tariff negotiator between the US and the EU, while E. Macron advocates a more independent position for Europe.
On the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, both Italy and France have promised strong support for Kyiv, but Ms Meloni expressed scepticism about the Franco-British plan to send peacekeepers if a peace deal is reached.
Meloni’s office has not issued any statements since her meeting with the French president and has not held a press conference. However, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said last Saturday that Macron’s visit would be “an absolutely positive development for the two countries, which are allies and neighbors.” -0-