Premier Giorgia Meloni is free to run
for election to the European parliament in June but it is
important to reach a joint agreement with government allies,
Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on
Monday.
"The president of the Council (of ministers) is free to do what
she wants; running for election is not a scandal, it has
happened before," Tajani, who is also the leader of centre-right
government coalition partner Forza Italia, told Radio Rtl 102.5.
"However, it is important to coordinate and discuss beforehand
in order to find shared solutions," he added.
In a year-end press conference on January 4 Meloni, who leads
the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI), told reporters she had
"not yet decided" whether to run in the European parliament
elections.
"I need to understand whether my possible candidacy would take
time away from my job as premier," she said.
On the possibility of running himself, Tajani said he had "some
doubts".
"I will talk about it with Giorgia Meloni and (Deputy Premier
and League secretary) Matteo Salvini because I believe we will
need to find a synthesis together," the deputy premier told
Radio Rtl 102.5.
"Campaigning for the European elections on the proportional list
risks diverting my attention, my work, from the activity of
government," he added.
On the war in Ukraine, Tajani said: "I believe that if we want
to achieve peace, we must prevent Ukraine from succumbing,
because if we want to aim for an agreement that leads to the end
of the war, we cannot have Russia invading Ukraine because it
would no longer be a peace, but an invasion of Ukraine by
Russia".
"That is why it is right that the West should continue to
support Ukraine," the minister added, stressing that "the
situation is really complex".
"We must never abandon diplomacy and we must make sure that a
situation of military balance eventually leads to a lasting
peace and to the conclusion of a war that has claimed too many
lives... but Italy is always a bearer of peace, that is our
priority commitment," said Tajani.
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