A recent viral video capturing a frosty exchange between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron has ignited social media. Netizens noted Giorgia Meloni’s cold snub of Emmanuel Macron following their clash over including specific language on abortion rights in the G7 Summit’s final statement.
Commenting on the video, an X user named Dr. Eli David quipped, “Italy’s Giorgia Meloni can’t hide her contempt for Macron.”
Watch the video here:
The viral video showing Giorgia Meloni rolling her eyes at Emmanuel Macron and their less-than-friendly handshake surfaced just hours after a heated debate over abortion rights language at the G7 Summit.
The disagreement took centre stage in Italian media, potentially overshadowing the G7 Summit’s focus on supporting Ukraine. Giorgia Meloni’s office denied reports of removing references to LGBTQ rights from the statement, calling them “baseless”.
Earlier, media reports claimed that the word abortion was left out of a G7 Summit statement agreed on Friday, reflecting a rift on the issue between the host, Italy’s far-right premier Giorgia Meloni, and her allies.
Leaders of the Group of Seven rich democracies last year committed to addressing “access to safe and legal abortion”, in a statement after a summit in Hiroshima in Japan.
But that reference did not appear in the final statement agreed at this year’s summit in Puglia – with diplomats blaming Meloni.
The statement read, “We reiterate our commitments in the Hiroshima leaders’ communique to universal access to adequate, affordable, and quality health services for women, including comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights for all.”
The United States and France had both pushed back after reports that Meloni – a far-right leader who is opposed to abortion – was trying to water down the language on women’s rights.
A senior EU official had earlier confirmed that attempts to use the more explicit wording had failed.
Vikram Sharma is a globe-trotting journalist with a global perspective on international events. His articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing insights into the world’s most pressing challenges.
