Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that "the French government should apologize to resolve a dispute regarding what Rome regards as insulting remarks related to the crisis of migrants arriving by boats," in an interview published today, Friday. Tajani canceled his visit to Paris yesterday, Thursday, after comments made by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, which he deemed "insults" to Italy and its right-wing Prime Minister Georgia Meloni.
He said: "No Foreign Minister should dare to do what this gentleman did. If someone has made an unjustified insult, the least they can do is apologize. In this case, he has insulted all Italians, as well as the government and the Prime Minister."
Darmanin had declared on RMC radio that Meloni is unable to solve the immigration problems she was elected on, accusing her of "lying to voters when she says she can end the crisis of increasing numbers of migrants arriving by boat." He also compared her to far-right French leader Marine Le Pen, a political rival of President Emmanuel Macron, stating: "The far right has a bad trait of lying to people."
