(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 17 - Marine Le Pen, the president of France's National Rally (RN) party, said she and Italy's League party were fighting on the same side as she addressed the annual rally it holds at Pontida, the Lombardy town it considers its spiritual home.
    "You in Italy and we in France are engaged in the same fight, the fight for freedom, for the fatherland," Le Pen said.
    "I know how much you care about your freedoms".
    On Saturday League leader, Deputy Premier and Transport and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini described Le Pen as "the Europe that we want".
    He reiterated that on Sunday.
    "If we have to choose between (French President Emmanuel) Macron and Marine Le Pen in Europe, I have no doubts - I go with Marine Le Pen all my life," he said.
    She exchanged the esteem on Sunday, praising the closed-ports policy Salvini adopted with NGO-run migrant-rescue ships when he was interior minister in a previous government between 2018 and 2019. "We defend our ports, like Matteo did brilliantly with courage and fight when he had the power to do so," she said as the crowd chanted "Le-Pen, Le-Pen".
    "The whole of Europe looked at Italy with admiration then, and we, as allies, were proud of Salvini and the League.
    "We await the return of that moment.
    "When there's a party like the League and a leader like Salvini, you know it is the right choice.
    "Actually, it's the only choice". (ANSA).