“I imagine that I will see Macron in the coming days, [and between G7 and the Council of Europe] the occasions will be many.
“I am not aware of any bilateral problems between Italy and France,” Meloni said in Prague when asked about the renewed French criticism on migrants.
“Such aggressive statements for the media spotlight seem to me to speak to French public opinion, I am not worried by these criticisms.”
Stéphane Séjourné, the secretary general of Renaissance, was quoted by Paris daily newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday as calling Meloni’s migration policies “inhuman” and “incompetent”.
He was quoted as saying “Meloni does lots of rabble-rousing on illegal immigration: her policies are unjust, inhuman and ineffective”.
Meloni said Séjourné is attempting to use Italy for domestic political purposes.
“I believe they are using the polcies of other governments to settle internal scores,” she said.
“I don’t think this is ideal in terms of politics and etiquette, but everyone makes the choices they want to make.
“Obviously there is some problem they have to solve. But I don’t think it is a problem they have with us.
“Evidently there is some consensus-maintaining problem that needs to be addressed, but it is an internal problem.
“I don’t want to get into it, I understand the difficulties,” Meloni went on.
Asked if she had sent a message to Macron about this latest incident, the prime minister replied: “No, no, I am (only) interested in what the Italians say about the work I do”.
European Affairs Minister Raffaele Fitto said on Wednesday that Séjourné’s attack was unjustified.
Responding to his attack, Fitto said: “the irritability over the growing worries of internal politics has today produced another victim ... devoid of valid political arguments and frightened by the judgement of his citizens, Séjourné thought it was a good idea to play the card of an unprovoked and unjustified attack on Prime Minister Meloni that not only contradicts all rules of institutional etiquette, not helping the correct dialogue between Governments, but also, I am certain, won’t serve to solve for him the many political problems that he has”.
Deputy Premier, Transport Minister and rightwing League party leader Matteo Salvini said Séjourné’s attack was “unacceptable and offensive”.
He tweeted in response: “Unacceptable and offensive tones. France cannot give lessons to anyone. They should show (more) respect for the Italian government.”
Séjourné’s comments follow another recent diplomatic spat between Italy and France that arose after Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said Meloni was incapable of solving the migrant problems she had campaigned on.
Italy's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani subsequently cancelled a trip to Paris to see his counterpart Catherine Colonna in protest at the attack.
That followed a November row over a migrant rescue ship that ended up in France after Italy refused it entry.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has called for “peaceful dialogue” with Italy.
The latest comments are a fresh migrant spat between the two countries after a clash over an NGO run migrant boat that ended up in France last November.
Italy has seen a big increase in the number of migrants and refugees arriving via sea from North Africa this year.
Rome has been calling on the European Union to do more to share out the burden of migrant flows between member States and to protect the EU’s external border.
The government of Meloni, who at one point in last year's general election campaign promised voters a “naval blockade” to stop migrants, has also passed legislation to regulate the activities of NGO-run migrant rescue ships operating in the Mediterranean.
ANSA
