French President Emmanuel Macron’s government recalled its ambassador to Rome on Thursday in a move unprecedented since World War Two, saying it was fed up with “repeated, baseless” attacks by Italian political leaders against France.
The diplomatic blow, highly unusual among fellow members of the European Union, was announced by the foreign ministry in a statement. Diplomatic sources said Paris acted after a series of verbal assaults from Italy’s deputy prime ministers, capped by Luigi di Maio, head of the anti-establishment 5-Star movement, meeting this week with France’s “yellow vest” protesters, who have mounted a months-long anti-Macron campaign.
“France has been, for several months, the target of repeated, baseless attacks and outrageous statements,” the foreign ministry said.
“Having disagreements is one thing, but manipulating the relationship for electoral aims is another,” it added, calling Italy’s behaviour the worst of its kind since World War Two, when Benito Mussolini declared war on France in 1940.
The Italian government does not want to fall out with France, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said on Thursday, adding he would be happy to meet French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss recent tensions.
Responding to a decision by France to recall its ambassador to Italy, Salvini said in a statement he wanted to reset relations with Paris, but that France needed to address three “fundamental” issues.
Meanwhile, Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said his meeting with France’s “yellow vest” activists this week was legitimate and not meant as an act of provocation, after France recalled its ambassador to Rome on Thursday.
“To me that meeting was not a provocation against the current French government, but instead an important meeting with a political force with whom we share quite a lot, including the need for direct democracy to give more power to citizens,” Di Maio wrote on Facebook.
Calling the meeting “fully legitimate”, Di Maio said: “I have the right to dialogue with other political forces that represent the French people.”
He added that Italy was a friend and ally of the French people and he was willing to meet the Paris government to resolve differences.
via Reuters News
