Rome Demands Apology From France Citing FM's Insult Over Migration Remarks

ROME (Sputnik) - Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani told an Italian newspaper on Friday that remarks made by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin was an insult not only Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but also all Italians, demanding apologies.

"We are a great democratic country with a thousand-year history, a founder of the European Union. ... A foreign minister cannot allow himself to do what this man has done. ... apart from the government and the President of the Council of Ministers, he insulted all Italians," Tajani said.

Darmanin calling Meloni's government "far-right" and drawing parallels between the political course of the Italian prime minister and that of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French right-wing National Rally parliamentary group, particularly triggered Tajani's outrage.

The Italian minister canceled his scheduled visit to France to meet with his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, considering the explanations given by the French side insufficient, as there were no apologies in them.

The words of the French minister are "a groundless and vulgar insult to a friendly allied country" and "a stab in the back," Tajani said.

On Thursday, Darmanin said that Meloni is incapable of solving Italy's illegal migration problems, adding that the country is experiencing a "very serious" migration crisis.

The previous diplomatic scandal between Italy and France took place in November 2022, when Italy refused to allow the docking of the Ocean Viking, French NGO SOS Mediterranee's ship, with 234 migrants on board, who had been rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. Many refugees had reportedly been at sea for over two weeks. The ship finally docked in the French port of Toulon.

France criticized Rome's refusal as "selfish" and "unacceptable." Meloni, in turn, said that it was unfair that most of migrants that travel via the Mediterranean Sea come to Italian ports.