Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Maloni is on an official visit to Paris on Tuesday and will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron.
This was reported by Euractiv.
This is Maloney's first visit to France. Although she had long since assumed office, relations between France and Italy during this period were somewhat strained from the early days.
Thus, after the victory of the right in the parliamentary elections in Italy, the Prime Minister of France and then one of the French ministers noted that France "will be attentive to the observance of European values in Italy." This statement angered Maloney.
The countries then exchanged sharp statements over the situation of migrants picked up by the non-state rescue ship Ocean Viking - which France agreed to take after Italy refused to do so. The head of the French interior, Gérald Darmanen, then expressed regret that Italy "decided not to behave as a responsible European state", in addition, Paris postponed the acceptance of 3,500 migrants from Italy.
After that, migration challenges fueled the tension more than once, after another critical statement by Darmanen, the head of the Italian Foreign Ministry postponed his visit to Paris.
Before Maloney's visit to Paris, the Elysée Palace announced that the leaders plan to discuss bilateral relations, including problematic issues, and further joint support for Ukraine.
In addition, Maloney and Macron will coordinate positions before the European Council summit, which will be held on June 29-30, and the NATO summit on July 11-12.
