An exchange between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and French President Emmanuel Macron, revealing tensions between the two, is circulating widely on social media.
The video, showing Meloni apparently rolling her eyes at Macron and a less-than-warm handshake between them, surfaced after the two clashed over specific language regarding abortion rights. This disagreement arose after the G7 leaders did not directly mention abortion in their final communique on Friday, as per a draft seen by Reuters.
Italy reportedly resisted French pressure to include the word in the draft, leading to accusations of diluting support for LGBTQ rights compared to previous statements.
The abortion issue caused a diplomatic rift between Rome and Paris, with Meloni accusing Macron of trying to gain political advantage ahead of a national election in France.
This incident is reminiscent of a similar moment in 2017 when a candid exchange between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel went viral. In that instance, Merkel appeared to roll her eyes at Putin, who seemed engrossed in a topic that Merkel found less engaging.
Regarding the G7 summit, the draft statement reaffirmed commitments made at the previous summit in Hiroshima, Japan, regarding universal access to quality health services for women. However, it omitted a specific reference to “access to safe and legal abortion and post-abortion care” included in the 2023 communique.
Italy, as the current G7 president, argued that there was no need to repeat the language as they had already reaffirmed their commitment in Hiroshima.