Amid Detention of Italian Journalist in Iran... Focus on Diplomatic Solutions
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is gaining attention as a Trump connection within Europe, flew to the United States without prior notice on the 4th (local time) and met with President-elect Donald Trump.
According to Italian daily Corriere della Sera and others, Prime Minister Meloni met with President-elect Trump, who is two weeks away from his inauguration, at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. President-elect Trump said to the crowd at Mar-a-Lago, "This is really exciting. I am here with a fantastic woman who is the Prime Minister of Italy," adding, "She is really sweeping across Europe."
Corriere della Sera reported that the meeting was attended by Senator Marco Rubio, the nominee for Secretary of State, Scott Bessent, the nominee for Secretary of the Treasury, and Representative Mike Waltz, who has been appointed as the White House National Security Advisor.
Meloni, Italy's first female prime minister and leader of a hard-right party, is considered the European leader most aligned with Trump. She also has a close relationship with Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and a key Trump ally. The meeting between Prime Minister Meloni and President-elect Trump was their second encounter following the ?lys?e Palace dinner commemorating the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on the 7th of last month. At that time, Trump described Meloni as a "passionate and fantastic figure" and said, "I can get along well with her."
The content of the conversation between the two during this meeting has not been disclosed, but it is known that various issues were discussed, including the Ukraine war, trade tariffs, Middle East issues, and Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who is detained in Iran.
Cecilia Sala, a reporter for the Italian daily Il Foglio and a popular podcast host, was arrested on the 19th of last month in Tehran, Iran, on charges of violating media laws and was placed in solitary confinement at Evin Prison in northern Tehran. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Iranian ambassador to Rome on the 2nd to demand Sala's immediate release, but she remains in custody.
Sala was detained three days after Iranian businessman Mohammad Abedini was arrested at Milan Airport in Italy. Abedini is accused of supplying drone parts related to a drone attack in Jordan in 2023 that killed three U.S. soldiers. Abedini is currently held in detention, and Italian judges are reviewing a request for his extradition.
Foreign leaders who have visited Mar-a-Lago to meet President-elect Trump since his election victory include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb?n.
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