Italian foreign minister calls off Paris trip after French 'insults'

FILE PHOTO: Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media ahead of the arrival of a plane carrying evacuees from war-torn Sudan, at Ciampino airport near Rome, Italy, April 24, 2023. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

ROME/PARIS (Reuters) -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 RMC radio 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 a crisis over growing numbers of boat migrants.