Italian Ambassador to France
Teresa Castaldo was summoned to the French foreign ministry
Monday over remarks Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio made over
alleged French policy in Africa, diplomatic sources told ANSA.
French diplomatic sources told ANSA Monday that Di Maio's
remarks were "hostile and without cause given the partnership
between France and Italy in the European Union."
They said "they must be read in a context of Italian internal
politics".
Castaldo was summoned by the cabinet chief of French European
Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau over remarks Di Maio made at a
rally Sunday, French media said.
The head of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), who
is also labour and economy minister, said "if today people are
leaving Africa is it because some European countries, with
France in the lead, have never stopped colonizing tens of
African States".
Di Maio said French President Emmanuel Macron "first lectures
us (on migrants), then continues to finance public debt with the
money with which he exploits Africa".
The deputy premier went on to suggest Brussels should impose
sanctions on Paris and take the question to the United Nations.
Speaking on Italian radio Monday morning, Di Maio said Paris
was allegedly "impoverishing" Africa with what he called "the
franc of the colonies".
He said "in order to keep the Africans in Africa, it would be
enough for the French to stay home. France should start opening
its ports. We'll take migrants to Marseille until they stop
minting the currency for Africa in Lyon".
After France summoned the ambassador, Di Maio said that
"Africa must be decolonised" and the EU, too, "must deal with
this issue".
He said "let's look the causes in the face, too, not only the
effects of emigration. There are authoritative economists all
over the world who talk about it, we have only lit the spotlight
on a truth".
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