FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Giorgia Meloni did not attend the EU-Western Balkans summit held today in Tivat, Montenegro...
The Italian Prime Minister was expected to attend the session of heads of state and government, but her cancellation came at the last minute. Meloni was in Reggio Calabria for the ceremony of the 212th anniversary of the founding of the Carabinieri Army and, according to reports, one of the reasons may have been an unscheduled visit to present a commemorative postage stamp.
Why was Meloni absent from the Tivat summit?
According to Corriere della Sera, the prime minister left Calabria in the early hours of the afternoon, but the government plane was headed to Rome and not to Montenegro. Meloni then personally informed the president of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, and the president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, expressing regret that he could not arrive in time for the meeting.
Officially, the absence was justified by the extension of the ceremony at Lungomare Falcomata in Reggio Calabria, which started late and ended around 1:00 p.m. Also present at the event were the new commander-in-chief of the Carabinieri, Salvatore Luongo, the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto and the Chief of the General Staff of Defense, General Luciano Portolano.
However, after the ceremony, Meloni also participated in the presentation of a commemorative postage stamp at the Prefecture, an activity that did not appear on the public agenda published on the Italian Prime Minister's website. The official announcement states:
"After the end of the celebrations for the 212th anniversary of the founding of the Carabinieri Army, the Prime Minister headed to the Prefecture of Reggio Calabria for the philatelic cancellation of a commemorative postage stamp dedicated to the anniversary. This visit was not part of the initial program published by Palazzo Chigi."
What was discussed at the Tivat summit?
European Union leaders and representatives of the six Western Balkan partner countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, gathered in Tivat, six months after the previous summit in Brussels, to reaffirm the perspective of EU membership for the countries of the region.
Montenegro, the host country, is considered the most advanced candidate for membership and aims to become part of the European Union by 2028, an ambitious and not guaranteed goal. Albania and Montenegro are considered the two most advanced processes, while the situation remains more complex for Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia due to internal reforms, bilateral tensions, institutional issues and varying levels of harmonisation with EU foreign policy.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were expected to attend the event in Tivat, among others. Giorgia Meloni was not present.
Bonelli: Meloni like in the movie 'Mom, I missed the plane'
For Angelo Bonelli, a member of parliament for the Green and Left Alliance (AVS) and co-spokesperson for Europa Verde, Meloni's absence from the European summit is reminiscent of the famous film "Mom, I missed the plane."
"It's not just the title of a famous Christmas movie; it seems to be becoming Prime Minister Meloni's foreign policy agenda. It's not a protocol blunder, but a political fact. Meloni talks about patriotism every day, but when the tables where European balances and Italy's role are set are gathered, the government is absent. This is the sovereignist right: a lot of propaganda and little presence where national interests are really defended," declared Bonelli.
Piero De Luca, chairman of the Democratic Party group in the European Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, asked:
"Is it a matter of an agenda problem and a diplomatic incident or a deliberate departure from the summit as a political choice? The suspicion is well-founded. Meloni leads a divided majority in foreign policy: Salvini continues to approach Moscow, Tajani seeks Atlantic support, while Meloni vacillates between sovereignty and convenient ambiguity. To appear at a table where support for Ukraine, EU enlargement and a common front with Paris and Berlin are discussed would mean choosing a position. And for this majority, the choice is dangerous."
Senator Enrico Borghi, vice president of Italia Viva, also harshly criticized the prime minister's absence:
"We present postage stamps, others make decisions. Meloni boycotts the Tivat summit at the last minute and Italy is becoming increasingly isolated and irrelevant. While European leaders deal with the future of the European Union and the war in Ukraine, our prime minister is late in Reggio Calabria. It was already embarrassing to arrive at the summit at the last moment, when it had started yesterday. Not showing up at all shows a complete lack of vision. After the absence from the meeting on Russia and Ukraine, today we have this opportunity again. This weekend there will be a meeting between the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany – Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz – with Volodymyr Zelensky. And Giorgia Meloni? Bloomberg, who published the news, does not even mention her. Is another bad figure being prepared?" Borghi said. /Adapted from Pamphlet /
Si ka mundesi qe merreni me ca buce sygurdulluara? Femra sy gurdulluar i ka mendte vetem te palloshi. Politika eshte bere zeje e njerezve me te pa skrupullt. Me falni qe poshterova fjalen zeje. Zeja (zanati, trade) eshte me i respektuari e kerkuari ne bote. Me e bukura ose e poshtra eshte se te bukuren e lakmojne me te ndyret dhe e felliqin. Italia eshte bukuria, stili, eleganca, finesa dinjitoza, parfumoza, qe nuk mund ta pranojne ne gjirin e vet ligavecin kermill. Dhe poshtersia me e ulet kur kaqoli jone iu perul sikur te ishte mbreteresha Donika e mbretit Gjergj Kastrioti.