President Sergio Mattarella on
Friday received at the presidential Quirinale palace French
Ambassador to Italy Christian Masset who handed him a letter
from French President Emmanuel Macron inviting him to pay a
State visit to France.
Mattarella cordially thanked Macron and accepted the
invitation.
Masset on Friday returned to Rome after being recalled
to Paris for consultations on February 7.
Masset was discreetly greeted at Fiumicino Airport by French
embassy staff.
France recalled Masset for consultations citing unprecedented
attacks by Italian government figures after Deputy Premier Luigi
Di Maio met with hardline members of the Yellow Vest protest
movement in Paris.
"Italian President (Sergio) Mattarella called (French)
President (Emmanuel) Macron, they talked and they said how
important the friendship between France and Italy is, how much
the two countries need each other," European Affairs Minister
Nathalie Loiseau told RTL.
"We have also listened to the political leaders who let slip
words and conduct that were frankly unfriendly and unacceptable
show regret".
Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio
said Friday that his 5-Star Movement (M5S) will not have talks
with violent elements among France's Yellow Vests protestors.
Di Maio last week met controversial hardline Yellow Vest
member Christophe Chalencon, who has called for a military coup,
ahead of May's European elections.
"There was some interaction with a complex reality but we
don't intend to dialogue with the part that is talking about
armed struggle or civil war," Di Maio said as he presented the
M5S's manifesto for the European elections.
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