Meloni says he will make pro-Europe, pro-NATO government in Italy

On the eve of being sworn in, Giorgia Meloni gave this Wednesday (19) a message to the right-wing parties that make up Italy’s ruling coalition – Força, Italia, by Silvio Berlusconi, and Liga, by Matteo Salvini. According to the virtual new prime minister, her administration will be pro-NATO, the Western military alliance, and pro-Europe.

Any party that disagrees with her foreign policy line, she said, should not join the new government, due to take office next week. “Italy with us in government will never be the weak link in the West,” said Meloni, leader and founder of the Brothers of Italy party.

“On one thing I was, am and will always be clear. I intend to lead a government with a clear and unambiguous foreign policy line. Anyone who does not agree with this cornerstone cannot be part of the government.”

Meloni’s message comes after Berlusconi, a longtime friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, reiterated in audios his sympathy for Russia’s leader and accuses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of triggering the war.

Meloni takes the opposite view: she has staunchly defended Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February and supports Western sanctions against Moscow.

In an audio leaked on Tuesday (18), Berlusconi revealed to the parliamentarians of Força, Italy that he had contact with the Russian president again, with whom he exchanged “sweet letters” and gifts. In a second recording, released by LaPresse news agency on Wednesday, Berlusconi said Ukraine had broken a 2014 peace deal designed to end a Russian-speaking separatist struggle in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Repeating accusations made by Putin that were denied by Ukraine, Berlusconi said that Zelensky made the situation much worse when he came to power in 2019. He also repeated the claim that the Russian president gave in to internal pressure and only invaded Ukraine to form a new government. “of decent and common sense people”.

Hours after the first audio was released, Força, Italia stated that Berlusconi’s view of the war was “in line with the position of Europe and the United States”.

However, opponents took advantage of the recordings to accuse Berlusconi of undermining Meloni’s credibility. “Berlusconi’s comments are very serious and incompatible with Italian and European positions,” said Enrico Letta, leader of the center-left Democratic Party.

In the coming days, a series of necessary formalities will take place for the officialization of the new government. According to the Constitution, President Sergio Mattarella must consult all the main leaders of the political parties before he can invite the winners of the elections to form an administration – he must meet with the opposition acronyms on Thursday (20) and with the governing ones. on Friday (21).

The new cabinet is due to be sworn in between Saturday (22) and Monday (24), said League leader Matteo Salvini, and officially begin governing on October 26, after winning a mandatory vote of confidence in parliament.

As Meloni’s Brothers of Italy won the most seats in the September 25 vote, she will lead the new government. However, even though she has won a consistent majority in the elections, putting together a cabinet has proved more difficult than expected, with Berlusconi particularly furious at Meloni’s refusal to satisfy his demands for key posts.

The new government, which replaces the one led by Prime Minister Mario Draghi, will have to deal with rising inflation and concerns about high winter energy costs.