The head of the Italian government Giorgia Meloni will be received this Tuesday, June 20 at the Elysee Palace by President Emmanuel Macron as part of Rome’s bid for the 2030 World Expo. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol will also be present.
French President Emmanuel Macron will receive Italian head of government Giorgia Meloni in Paris on Tuesday, the Elysée Palace announced on Monday, in a still turbulent context between the two countries. This meeting will make it possible to discuss “bilateral relations” and “the implementation of the Quirinal Treaty”, signed in 2021 and which structures the Franco-Italian relationship. Giorgia Meloni travels to Paris to defend Rome’s candidacy for the 2030 Universal Exhibition before the Bureau International des Expositions. The Italian capital is in competition with Busan (South Korea), Ryad (Saudi Arabia) and Odessa (Ukraine).
A visit to “address European issues”
Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman and President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol are also present in France for the same reason. Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni “will address European issues and will take advantage of this meeting to prepare for the European Council to be held in Brussels on Thursday 29 and Friday 30 June”, according to the Elysée. “There will also be talk of the NATO summit to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Tuesday July 11 and Wednesday July 12, 2023. Their discussions will be an opportunity to reaffirm their common support for Ukraine”, indicates the French presidency. .
This is Giorgia Meloni’s first visit to France since his election in the fall of 2022. The two leaders met informally in Rome just after his appointment, then in bilateral meetings on the sidelines of international events. Franco-Italian relations have gone through some turbulence, particularly around the thorny issue of immigration, since the ultra-conservative government led by Giorgia Meloni came to power in Rome in the fall.
The reactions were particularly strong in the peninsula after the remarks on May 4 by the French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, judging Giorgia Meloni “unable to resolve the migratory problems on which she was elected”. Since then, the two capitals have been trying to ease tensions.