Italy’s foreign minister cancels Paris trip over ‘unacceptable’ migration comments

Issued on: 04/05/2023 – 17:40

In a radio interview in Paris on Thursday, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “is incapable of resolving the migration problems” faced by her country.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani slammed Darmanin’s “unacceptable” remarks and cancelled a planned trip to Paris.

“This is not the spirit in which common European challenges should be faced”, he said.

Paris later sought to ease the tensions, saying it hoped that Tajani’s meeting with French counterpart Catherine Colonna scheduled for Thursday evening could be rescheduled “soon”.

“The French government wishes to work with Italy to meet the common challenge of rapidly rising migrant flows,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

Relations with Italy “are based on mutual respect between both countries and between their leaders”, it said.

Migration questions should be handled by all EU members together, the ministry said, saying they should “keep in mind that we can only succeed and be effective via concertation and calm dialogue”.

‘Increased migration pressure’                

The centrist French government under President Emmanuel Macron has clashed repeatedly with Italian cabinets in recent years over migration.

The most recent spike in tensions came last November when Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party won September elections, refused to allow a charity ship carrying 230 migrants to dock in Italy.

The Ocean Viking ship was eventually allowed to dock in France, but Paris denounced Rome’s “unacceptable” behaviour and suspended plans to receive 3,500 migrants from Italy.

At the time, Meloni denounced France’s reaction as “aggressive” and “unjustified”.

Relations have since improved, with Macron and Meloni meeting in Brussels in March for talks. 

But migration remains a live issue for Meloni’s government, the most right-wing in Rome since World War II, which took office in October vowing to stop boat landings.

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a surge in the numbers of migrants arriving on Italy’s shores, mostly from North Africa.

More than 42,000 people have arrived since January 1, according to the Italian interior ministry – almost four times the number in the same period in 2022.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced last month the mobilisation of 150 extra police officers to deal with “increased migration pressure on the Italian border”.

Darmanin had said earlier that Italy faced a “very serious migration crisis” and he drew parallels between Meloni and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

“Madame Meloni, (leader of) a far-right government chosen by friends of Mme Marine Le Pen, is incapable of resolving the migration problems on the back of which she was elected,” he told RMC radio.

Asked about the arrival of migrants at France’s southeastern border with Italy, Darmanin said there was “an influx of migrating people and particularly children”.

(AFP)