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US President-elect Donald Trump has praised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who visited him at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida's Palm Beach, as a "fantastic woman" who has "really taken Europe by storm," CNN reported on Sunday.
"This is very exciting," he told a crowd at his residence. "I'm here with a fantastic woman, the prime minister of Italy. She's really taken Europe by storm.," said Trump welcoming Meloni on Saturday. Meloni, a member of the right-wing Brothers of Italy party, took office in October 2022 and is known to have ties to the incoming Trump administration, in particular with his ally Elon Musk, as per CNN. While European powerhouses France and Germany are going through a period of rocky politics, the stability of her coalition in Italy and conservative credentials make her a natural ally for the incoming US leader. Trump and Meloni were joined by his nominees for secretary of state and national security advisor - Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Florida). According to CNN reports, the details of the meeting have not been disclosed, although the Italian leader, like others, has been seeking to strengthen ties with the President-elect ahead of his inauguration on January 20. One possible topic on the agenda was the detention of Italian journalist Cecilia Sala, who was arrested in Iran last month, it said. Italy's foreign ministry confirmed in a statement last Friday that Sala, a reporter for Italian daily Il Foglio, was detained in Tehran. Iranian state news agency IRNA said Monday that Sala had been detained on December 19 after "violating the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran." Sala's detention has caused a diplomatic headache for Italy, with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani saying his government was working "tirelessly" to bring her home. Meloni's visit to Florida comes after she dined with Trump and Musk during the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris last month. (ANI)
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