ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2019) The French Foreign Ministry on Monday summoned Italian Ambassador Teresa Castaldo over remarks that Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio made about France's colonial present, media said.
Di Maio defended Italy over the weekend for not accepting rescue boats with African migrants, saying on radio that France had never stopped colonizing and exploiting the continent for money.
A French diplomatic source told Italy's ANSA news agency that the Italian ambassador had been summoned by the cabinet of European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau.
The diplomat said that the deputy prime minister's comment was "hostile and without cause, given the partnership between France and Italy in the European Union."
Di Maio continued attacking France after the ambassador was summoned, according to the Italian outlet, saying France should open its ports to migrant boats. He reportedly suggested that the European Union should look into the issue.
