Top French, Italian Diplomats To Discuss Ukraine Arms Supplies, Migrant Crisis - Paris

Umer Jamshaid Published May 24, 2023 | 09:42 PM

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and her Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, will meet on May 25 in Rome to discuss arms deliveries to Ukraine, the upcoming NATO summit and the migration crisis in Europe, the French Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th May, 2023) French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and her Italian counterpart, Antonio Tajani, will meet on May 25 in Rome to discuss arms deliveries to Ukraine, the upcoming NATO summit and the migration crisis in Europe, the French Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

"These talks will be an opportunity to recall the European unity in support of Ukraine (...)The ministers will discuss the steps taken within the European framework, particularly those aimed at ramping up the production of the ammunition Ukraine needs to ensure its legitimate defense," the ministry stated.

The ministers will also discuss the upcoming NATO summit, which will take place in Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, from July 11 to 12, and the NATO-EU "complementarity" in terms of defense and security.

"The ministers will also discuss the migration crisis, which Italy faces as the country where the migrants arrive in the first place, in order to fight it more efficiently.

The cooperation is essential between our countries, but also with Tunisia as well," the statement read.

Paris has also offered Rome its help in tackling the disastrous floods that hit Italy's north, especially the Emilia-Romagna region, by sending the necessary machinery, the statement added.

Colonna's visit to Italy follows recent tensions in relations between Paris and Rome.

Earlier in the month, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was incapable of solving Italy's illegal migration problems, adding that the country was experiencing a "very serious" migration crisis. Following Darmanin's comments, Tajani canceled his planned trip to France to meet with Colonna.