Georgia Meloni assures that relations between Italy and the US are solid regardless of the political color of their governments

In an appearance before journalists that lasted just seven minutes, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and the head of the Italian Government, Georgia Meloni, dedicated the usual comments of two allies this Thursday, without contributing any headlines to the newspaper library. . “Our relations are solid,” said Meloni, the first woman at the helm of the Italian Executive, sitting next to Biden in the Oval Office. “They go through governments and remain strong regardless of their political colors. We know who our friends are in difficult times.” The statements by the leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy were confirmation that any possible bilateral friction — especially due to Italy’s membership of the New Silk Road in China — had been set aside in favor of the transatlantic alliance.

Both spoke of the possibility of boosting trade between the two countries and Biden assured that he saw no reason why bilateral exchange could not increase, to which the head of the Italian Government agreed. The president concluded his brief appearance before reporters, prior to a closed-door bilateral meeting, with a joke about his wife’s Italian grandfather, Jill, and his Italian neighbors in Scranton, the president’s hometown. As at an earlier morning event on the weather, reporters yelled questions at the president about his son Hunter and his latest court setback, but there was no response.

According to the White House press secretary, Biden and Meloni were scheduled to discuss the benefits of closer transatlantic cooperation with respect to China. Karine Jean-Pierre thus confirmed the first item on the bilateral agenda, on the first official visit of Italian politics to Washington. According to members of the delegation that accompanies the president of the Council of Ministers, the official name of her position, the interview with Biden has focused on issues of international scope. In the first place, the Euro-Atlantic alliance in the face of the war in Ukraine, on which Meloni has radically transformed her old discourse, close to Moscow. After the invasion of Ukraine, Meloni has reiterated his unconditional support for kyiv and endorsed sanctions against the Kremlin. The Head of Government has stressed to Biden the “shared commitment to continue fully supporting Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.”

Regarding Italy’s participation in the controversial Chinese New Silk Road (BRI), an initiative that is viewed with suspicion by the West due to its hegemonic claim, “China has become an essential interlocutor in international relations and Italy It intends to maintain a balanced relationship and a responsible dialogue with Beijing,” the aforementioned sources said before the meeting. The hypothetical announcement of the withdrawal of the initiative – the agreement between Italy and China expires in March 2024 and Rome must decide whether to renew it for another five years – had fueled the expectations of the Italian press about the meeting at the White House. Meloni recently stated that Biden has never raised the issue of Italy’s membership of the BRI. An announcement in this regard would be seen as a strong declaration of intent, on the eve of Italy assuming the presidency of the G-7 next year.

Italy joined the BRI in 2019, under Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, becoming the only G-7 member in the club, hoping to boost trade and investment. The decision was criticized by both the United States and the European Union.

The migration issue, common to both countries, has also figured on the agenda. “The centrality of the Mediterranean, attention to Africa, the question of resources for development and attention to stability as a security element must be priorities that concern all allies and partners, and that must be addressed in all international meetings ”, pointed out in Washington a member of the Italian delegation. The bilateral agreement takes place after the Rome Conference on migration and development, to which some 20 countries have joined, and the signing of a controversial agreement between the EU and Tunisia, by which Brussels will give 100 million euros to Tunisia to manage migratory flows. That is, in the words of the detractors of the agreement, to stop arrivals in Italy, despite the human rights record of Tunisia and Libya. Tunisia has recently been accused of forcing migrants back into the desert, to Libya and Algeria, without food or water.

Giorgia Meloni arrived in Washington on Wednesday night. Before visiting the White House, she met on Capitol Hill with the leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as with the Speaker of the House, the Republican Kevin McCarthy. She this Friday she will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery.

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