Italian FM cancels Paris trip after interior minister’s ‘insulting’ remarks

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called off a trip to Paris on Thursday, saying the French interior minister had insulted Italy with comments that were highly critical of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The French minister, Gerald Darmanin, had earlier told RMCradio that Meloni was “unable to solve the migration problems on which she was elected” and accused her of “lying” to voters that she could end the crisis.

News of his comments came as Tajani was preparing to fly to Paris to see his French counterpart - a trip that was aimed partly at improving relations between the two European Union countries that have grown increasingly fractious.