PARIS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- With the European Parliament elections approaching in May, the war of words which intensified between Rome and Paris recently has left no reason to expect a calming of relations between the two neighbors, despite being traditional allies and steadfast trade partners.
The latest verbal attack by Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, head of the Northern League party, was directly leveled at French President Emmanuel Macron.
"He gives us lessons on generosity, goodness, hospitality, solidarity, then he refuses thousands of migrants at the Italian border, at Vintimille and in Piedmont. I hope that the French are soon able to get rid of a very bad president," said Salvini in a video posted on social media on Tuesday.
One day earlier, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio, leader of the Five Star Movement, did not hesitate to accuse France of "impoverishing" West Africa and generating mass immigration to Europe.
"If France did not have African colonies... it would be the 15th world economic power," he said.
"France is one of those countries that by printing money for 14 African states prevents their economic development and contributes to the fact that the refugees leave and then die in the sea or arrive on our coasts," Di Maio said Monday.
He was referring to the CFA franc -- a currency used in 14 West and Central African nations, which is tied to the euro at a fixed exchange rate and guaranteed by the French treasury.
Di Maio said the European Union (EU) should sanction France and all countries like France that impoverish Africa and make people leave there.
These explosive remarks prompted France to summon Italy's ambassador to Paris.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte certainly tried to cool down the tensions.
"This (row) does not call back into question our historical friendship with France, or with the French people. This relationship remains strong and steady in spite of political disputes," Conte said in a statement.
"We will continue to work with the institutions of the French government, with European institutions and other countries, to find shared solutions," he added.
But, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Conte suggested that the EU should talk about turning France's UN Security Council seat into an EU one if Paris is willing. His remarks came after Germany and France signed the Treaty of Aachen, which defined granting Germany permanent membership in the UN Security Council as a priority of the French-German diplomacy.
France does not intend to play in the competition for whoever is the most stupid, responded French Minister for European Affairs Nathalie Loiseau on Wednesday, describing the statements by Italian leaders as "insignificant" and "unfriendly."
"We have other things to do, with an important neighbor such as Italy, we want to continue to be able to work," she said.
"Is it in any case that the climate allows for all the ministerial visits as if nothing happened? I will go to Italy when the climate will have calmed down," Loiseau said.
"These statements raise questions: do they serve the Italian people, do they contribute to the well-being of the Italian people? I don't think so," she said at a French Council of Ministers briefing.
"In France, we have an expression which says 'That which is excessive is insignificant,' therefore when statements are excessive both by their tone and their number, they become insignificant," Loiseau said.
Relations between Paris and Rome became tense last summer after the Five-Star Movement and the Northern League party came to power in a coalition in Italy last June.
Italy's new government closed ports to migrants rescued in the Mediterranean Sea by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), provoking French criticism.
Rancour between the two neighbors was also accumulated around the attitude toward the "yellow vest" protests that have swept France since Nov. 17.
Both Di Maio and Salvini have explicitly voiced support for the "yellow vest" protesters.
In early January, Di Maio called on the "yellow vests" to "let nothing go," while Salvini said in a Facebook video that he felt "close, with all my heart... to the French people, the millions of men and women who live in France under a terrible government and terrible president."
The fiery response from Loiseau did not take long, with the minister calling on Italian leaders to "sweep in front of their own door," and adding that France restrained itself from "giving lessons to Italy."
Behind the verbal one-upmanship, one thing is certain: the campaign for the European Parliament elections is well under way.
