President Pellegrini Meets Italian Prime Minister Meloni in Rome

Vatican/Rome, 5 December (TASR-correspondent) - Slovak President Peter Pellegrini met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome on Friday to discuss global and European developments, with Pellegrini at a briefing held on Friday praising Meloni for her leadership under which Italy is beginning to play a more serious role in European politics. Their meeting also touched on the current situation in Ukraine and immobilised Russian assets. "We spoke about how, if and when to use or not use frozen assets, so that Europe doesn't lose a negotiating position," said Pellegrini, who also highlighted Meloni's stances. "I've been saying and publicly presenting this for a long time - that on many issues and stances, I agree with the prime minister," he added, praising the fact that Slovakia and Italy have currently formed some sort of a coalition. According to him, Slovakia sees an ally in Italy, for example, as regards positions on the Green Deal and the new European emissions trading system (ETS2). He believes that his meeting with Meloni on Friday has helped to strengthen the relations between the two countries. jrg/df