Tag: Meloni

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Trudeau-Meloni Event Cancelled Amid Pro-Palestine Protests

Neither Trudeau nor Meloni were able to enter the place as the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) went into lockdown following protests….reports Asian Lite News

An event in Toronto where Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was scheduled to host his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, was cancelled on Saturday due to ‘security concerns’ after hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the venue, CBC News reported citing Trudeau’s office.

Neither Trudeau nor Meloni were able to enter the place as the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) went into lockdown following protests.

The protestors criticized the Canadian government’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and alleged that “Trudeau was funding a genocide in Gaza.”

“Due to security concerns, the event was cancelled,” a spokesperson for the PMO said.

Police said that there were 200-300 protesters outside the gallery, but noted it was difficult to estimate the total size of the demonstration as protesters gathered outside several entrances.

Would-be attendees gathered outside were confronted by demonstrators, with their entry paths blocked. Some were later escorted to the building’s entrance by police.

International Development Minister, Ahmed Hussein tried to enter through the main entrance, but protesters blocked his path and followed him for two blocks as he tried to enter a more secure location while flanked by police, according to CBC News.

“You are complicit in the genocide. Your hands are red. You are complicit in the murder of my family members and my friends,” one demonstrator chanted at him.

Italian PM Meloni, was in Toronto to hold meetings with Trudeau. The two G7 leaders discussed a wide range of topics, including the crisis in the Middle East.

Hamas carried out a terror attack on Israel on October 7 killing over 1200 people and taking around 250 people as hostages.

Following this, Israel launched a massive counter-offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But, the military operation has so far claimed more than 30,000 lives, according to Gaza health officials.

Canada considers Hamas a ‘terrorist group’ and has repeatedly said that “Israel has the right to defend itself”. Lately, Ottawa called for a ceasefire in the conflict due to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, CBC News reported. (ANI)

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Modi holds talks with Meloni

This is the second visit of Prime Minister Meloni to India following her State visit in March 2023, during which bilateral relations were raised to the level of a Strategic Partnership…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a bilateral meeting with Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of the Italian Republic on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

This is the second visit of Prime Minister Meloni to India following her State visit in March 2023, during which bilateral relations were raised to the level of a Strategic Partnership.

The two leaders noted with satisfaction the completion of 75 years of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. They also took stock of the progress in diverse areas of the India-Italy Strategic Partnership and agreed to bolster cooperation in areas like defence and new and emerging technologies. They noted the need for G7 and G20 to work in consonance for the greater global good.

“I had excellent meeting with PM@GiorgiaMeloni. Our talks covered sectors such as trade, commerce, defence, emerging technologies and more. India and Italy will keep working together for global prosperity,” PM Modi posted on X.The meeting between the two leaders was held at the Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, the venue of the two-day Summit.(ANI)

ALSO READ-Meloni seeks India’s help in Ukraine

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Italian PM Meloni pledges support for Ukraine

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (C) addresses the lower house of Italy's parliament in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua/IANS)

Following the call, Zelenskyy thanked Meloni via social media for her “solidarity and comprehensive support” and said Italy was considering providing Kyiv with air defense systems…reports Asian Lite News

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Tuesday reaffirmed the Italian government’s “full support” for Ukraine in the political, military, economic, and humanitarian fields as the ongoing war in Ukraine has caused widespread devastation.

Meloni extended support to the war-stricken country following a phone call with Zelenskyy and pledged support for Kyiv and reiterated its commitment to achieving a “just peace” for Ukraine.

“[Prime Minister] Meloni renewed the Italian government’s full support for Kyiv in the political, military, economic and humanitarian fields, to repair energy infrastructure and [to work] for the future reconstruction of Ukraine,” said an official statement.

Following the call, Zelenskyy thanked Meloni via social media for her “solidarity and comprehensive support” and said Italy was considering providing Kyiv with air defense systems.

“Thanked @GiorgiaMeloni for solidarity and comprehensive support for. Commended government’s allocation of additional EUR10 million in aid. Mrs. Meloni informed that the issue of providing air defense systems to protect skies is being considered. We discussed #PeaceFormula,” Zelenskyy tweeted.

Earlier on Monday, in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday exchanged views about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. PM Modi strongly reiterated his call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, saying that both sides should revert to dialogue and diplomacy to find a lasting solution to their differences, read Prime Minister’s Office press release.

He also conveyed India’s support for any peace efforts and assured India’s commitment to continue providing humanitarian assistance for the affected civilian population, added the release.

Zelenskyy, in a phone call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, sought India’s help in the implementation of a peace formula with Russia.

“I had a phone call with PM Modi & wished a successful G20 presidency. It was on this platform that I announced the peace formula and now I count on India’s participation in its implementation. I also thanked for humanitarian aid and support in the UN,” tweeted the Ukrainian President.

Meanwhile, the President of Ukraine conveyed his best wishes for India’s Presidency of the G20.

ALSO READ-Far-right Meloni named Italy’s first woman PM

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Far-right Meloni named Italy’s first woman PM

Giorgia Meloni (C), leader of the Brothers of Italy party, arrives at a polling station in Rome, Italy, Sept. 25, 2022. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni/IANS)

It won 26 percent of the vote last month, compared to eight and nine percent respectively for her allies Forza Italia and the far-right League…reports Asian Lite News

Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italian prime minister on Saturday, to become the first woman to head a government in Italy.

Meloni took the oath before President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, once home to popes and kings of Italy.

Her post-fascist Brothers of Italy party — Eurosceptic and anti-immigration — won the Sept 25 legislative polls but needed outside support to form a government.

Meloni’s appointment is an historic event for the eurozone’s third largest economy and for Brothers of Italy, which has never been in government.

It won 26 percent of the vote last month, compared to eight and nine percent respectively for her allies Forza Italia and the far-right League.

Meloni’s list of 24 ministers, including six women, revealed a desire to reassure Italy’s partners. She named Giancarlo Giorgetti as economy minister, who served under the previous government of Mario Draghi.

Giorgetti, a former minister of economic development, is considered one of the more moderate, pro-Europe members of Matteo Salvini’s League.

Meloni also named ex-European Parliament president Antonio Tajani, of Forza Italia, as foreign minister and deputy prime minister. Salvini will serve as deputy prime minister and minister of infrastructure and transport.

That appointment is likely to disappoint Salvini, who wanted Meloni to give him the role of interior minister again after he previously held the post between 2018 and 2019.

The position went instead to a technocrat, Rome prefect Matteo Piantedosi. A formal ceremony for the handover of power from Draghi to Meloni will take place on Sunday before the premier leads the first cabinet meeting.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Meloni on her appointment. “I count on and look forward to constructive cooperation with the new government on the challenges we face together,” she tweeted on Saturday, while European Parliament speaker Roberta Metsola tweeted in Italian that “Europe needs Italy”. US President Joe Biden congratulated Meloni and called Italy a “vital Nato ally and close partner.”

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