Italy’s Meloni meets with Macron, Fico with Ukraine and Gaza on agenda
Italian and Slovak premiers express support for two-state solution in Gaza
ISTANBUL
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held separate talks Tuesday with her Slovak counterpart Robert Fico and French President Emmanuel Macron with an agenda focused on European competitiveness, Ukraine and Gaza.
"Italy and France, committed to their role as founding states of the European project, aim to strengthen their joint commitment to a more sovereign, stronger and more prosperous Europe, above all for peace, and capable of defending its own interests and protecting its citizens," said a joint statement issued after Meloni's meeting with Macron in Rome.
The meeting underscored the "strong convergences" on the European agenda for competitiveness and prosperity to be implemented in areas in key sectors like automotive, steel, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy and space.
"More than three years after the beginning of the Russian aggression (against Ukraine), and in the aftermath of the talks between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, the continued unwavering support of France and Italy for Ukraine is more necessary than ever to achieve a just and lasting resolution while also committing to an ambitious scaling-up of European defense, both in terms of investments and support for the European defense industrial and technological base," the statement said.
The meeting also addressed the situation in the Middle East and Libya and included coordination on the transatlantic relationship, European Union trade and economic security.
The two leaders also agreed to hold a bilateral summit in France in early 2026.
Before meeting with Macron, Meloni also received Fico, with whom she also discussed European competitiveness, focusing on the automotive sector, innovative technologies, transport infrastructure, renewable energy and next-generation nuclear energy.
"We also had the opportunity to discuss matters of security and defense, confirming our mutual interest in deepening bilateral cooperation, as well as the remaining priorities on the European Union’s agenda, starting with the management of migration flows," Meloni wrote on X.
She noted that they had also expressed their support for a "just and lasting peace" in Ukraine within a broader European and geopolitical context.
"We underscored our shared commitment to a stable and peaceful Middle East: we called for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas and a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. We once again confirmed our support for a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security," Meloni added.
