Foreign Minister and centre-right
post Berlusconi Forza Italia (FI) party leader Antonio Tajani on
Friday demurred when asked about fellow Deputy Premier,
Transport Minister and rightwing League party leader Matteo
Salvini's claim that the deal among pro-European EP groups to
re-elect Ursula von der Leyen as EC chief, Antonio Costa as
Council chair and Kaja Kallas as foreign chief had been a "coup
d'état" that flew in the face of the European voters who gave
the Right big gains in the recent elections.
Commenting at the Farnesina on Salvini's words that the
agreement in Brussels "reeks of a coup d'état", Tajani, whose FI
is part of von der Leyen's European People's Party(EPP), said
"it is not my language".
Tajani added that Salvini's 'stitch-up' claim "does not affect
the weight of Italy, which is a founding country of Europe".
He went on: "The negotiation is done by the premier on behalf of
Italy, not on behalf of the (domestic) majority political forces
(Meloni's Brothers of Italy, Fi and the League)..
"These words at the European level have absolutely no influence.
They are political judgements."
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