France summons Italian envoy after Di Maio's comments on Africa

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France's foreign ministry on Monday summoned Italy's ambassador "following unacceptable and irrelevant remarks" made by Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio who accused Paris of creating poverty in Africa and fueling mass migration to Europe.

Speaking on Saturday in central Italy, Di Maio attacked France's Africa policy – the latest chapter in a war of words between Rome and Paris since the anti-establishment 5-Star-Movement and far-right League won power last year.

Following the latest comments by Italian authorities, Ambassador Teresa Castaldo was summoned on Monday afternoon by the chief of staff of European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau, according to a French diplomatic source, "It's not the first time the Italian authorities have made unacceptable and aggressive comments."

Di Maio: 'France has never stopped colonizing African countries.'

The remarks were made by Di Maio while visiting the Abruzzo region in central Italy.

"The EU should sanction France and all countries like France that impoverish Africa and make these people leave because Africans should be in Africa, not at the bottom of the Mediterranean," said the leader of the Five Star Movement (M5S), which governs alongside the far-right League party.

"If people are leaving today it's because European countries, France above all, have never stopped colonizing dozens of African countries.

Italian Deputy PM Luigi Di Maio speaks at the 5-Star Movement party's open-air rally at Circo Massimo in Rome, Italy, October 20, 2018. /VCG Photo

“If France didn't have its African colonies, because that's what they should be called, it would be the 15th largest world economy. Instead, it's among the first, exactly because of what it is doing in Africa.”

The remarks showed the latest sign of serious tensions between the populist government in Rome and France's centrist leader Emmanuel Macron.

Although the Italian ambassador was summoned Monday afternoon, Di Maio refused to back down in the row, telling reporters late Monday that France was manipulating the economies of 14 African countries that use the CFA franc – a colonial-era currency which is underpinned by the French Treasury.

“France is one of those countries that by printing money for 14 African states prevents their economic development and contributes to the fact that the refugees leave and then die in the sea or arrive on our coasts,” he said.

Growing tensions between France and the new Italian government

The new Italian government has frequently clashed with Paris, be it on immigration or policy in Libya, eager to mark the difference between itself and the previous center-left administration which had good ties with the French authorities.

“I've stopped being a hypocrite talking only about the effects of immigration and it's time to talk about the causes,” Di Maio said at the weekend.

“The EU should sanction all those countries like France that are impoverishing African countries and are causing those people to leave.”

(Cover: Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio speaks at the 5-Star Movement party's open-air rally at Circo Massimo in Rome, Italy, October 20, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters