ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of international fatigue with the conflict in Ukraine and a lack of support for Italy in dealing with migration in a phone call with Russian pranksters.
A 13-minute audio of the call, which dates back to September, was released online on Wednesday by Russians Vovan and Lexus, who have duped other Western politicians and celebrities in an effort to elicit frank, unguarded remarks.
Meloni’s office said in a statement it regretted that she had been deceived by an impostor posing as the head of the African Union Commission. It said the call took place on Sept. 18 in the run-up to meetings with African leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.
Asked about Russia’s war in Ukraine, Meloni, speaking in English, said: “I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides. We (are) near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out.”
“The problem is to find a way out which can be acceptable for both without destroying the international law,” she added.
Addressing Italy’s position as a first port of call for many migrants crossing the Mediterranean, Meloni lamented that international partners were not doing enough to help.
“They do all agree that only Italy has to solve this problem alone. It’s a very stupid way of thinking.”
Prankster Lexus, or Alexei Stolyarov, said Meloni was at least someone who was willing to share her real opinions.
“Unfortunately, unlike her, many European politicians behave like some kind of programmed robot and express points of view that are only voiced in their own circles,” he told Reuters by telephone. He did the talking while Vovan also listened in on the call with Meloni, he explained.
Meloni, Italian prime minister for a year, split with her TV presenter partner last month after off-air video excerpts from his program showed him using foul language and appearing to make advances to a female colleague.
Italy PM Meloni talks of Ukraine fatigue, migration in prank call
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Italy PM Meloni talks of Ukraine fatigue, migration in prank call
- Meloni’s office said in a statement it regretted that she had been deceived by an impostor posing as the head of the African Union Commission
- Prankster Lexus, or Alexei Stolyarov, said Meloni was at least someone who was willing to share her real opinions
Bangladesh’s religio-political party open to unity govt
- Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years
DHAKA: A once-banned Bangladeshi religio-political party, poised for its strongest electoral showing in February’s parliamentary vote, is open to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief said.
Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years as it marks a return to mainstream politics in the predominantly Muslim nation of 175 million.
Jamaat last held power between 2001 and 2006 as a junior coalition partner with the BNP and is open to working with it again.
“We want to see a stable nation for at least five years. If the parties come together, we’ll run the government together,” Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said in an interview at his office in a residential area in Dhaka, days after the party created a buzz by securing a tie-up with a Gen-Z party.
Rahman said anti-corruption must be a shared agenda for any unity government.
The prime minister will come from the party winning the most seats in the Feb. 12 election, he added. If Jamaat wins the most seats, the party will decide whether he himself would be a candidate, Rahman said.
The party’s resurgence follows the ousting of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a youth-led uprising in August 2024.
Rahman said Hasina’s continued stay in India after fleeing Dhaka was a concern, as ties between the two countries have hit their lowest point in decades since her downfall.
Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Rahman said: “We maintain relations in a balanced way with all.”
He said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the Awami League’s backing in 2023.
