Meloni: "Israel went too far on Gaza. The EU risks irrelevance; Draghi is right."

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni attended the Rimini Fair to participate in the Communion and Liberation Meeting. This was her first time as prime minister, to see firsthand whether the vote of confidence the Meeting had bestowed on her in 2022 is still valid, with the general elections that would have brought her to Palazzo Chigi just around the corner. The prime minister was welcomed by the president of the Scholz Meeting Foundation, Rimini's mayor, Jamil Sadegholvaad, and Rimini's prefect, Giuseppina Cassone. Upon her entrance, there was applause from those present, with some shouting "Viva Giorgia!"

"Thank you for this moving welcome," said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the Rimini Meeting. The Prime Minister had been moved shortly beforehand when the audience gave her a standing ovation. The Meeting "has marked a pivotal moment" in the debate for almost half a century. "It is a pleasure and an honor for me to be here. What happens here every year is extremely precious. I know well how much sacrifice and dedication" events like this require.

MELONI'S INTERVENTION

" The camp we have shown we want to be in is not that of ideologies, utopias, or those who want to shape reality: the camp we have chosen is the camp of reality, because a trillion ideas are not worth a single person; we must live and die for them." This was Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's statement, speaking at the Rimini Meeting.

Even "the international press, never kind to us, is often led to consider us a positive anomaly . I won't mention the many prophets of doom who saw foreign policy as the government's Achilles heel," but "I can only hope that in their hearts they are all happy to have been wrong." This is what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said. "The Italian proposal" for NATO's Article 5 model for Kiev's security guarantees is "the main one on the table, a possible contribution to the peace that our nation has provided. I think we should be proud of it." This is what Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, speaking at the Rimini Meeting.

"We condemn the unjustifiable killing of journalists, an unacceptable attack on freedom of the press and on all those who risk their lives to report the tragedy of war." This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the Rimini Meeting.

" We did not hesitate for a single minute in supporting Israel's right to self-defense after the horror of October 7th, but at the same time, we cannot remain silent now in the face of a reaction that has gone beyond the principle of proportionality, claiming too many innocent victims and even involving Christian communities." Thus Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke at the Rimini Meeting, once again calling for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages from Hamas.

" We reclaim Italy's role in this crisis ," "we are the leading non-Muslim country for medical evacuations from Gaza. There are those who write the motions and those who save children; I am proud to be among the latter." This was Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's statement at the Rimini Meeting.

" The EU is increasingly condemned to geopolitical irrelevance, incapable of effectively responding to the competitiveness challenges posed by China and the US, as Mario Draghi rightly pointed out from this stage," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said at the Rimini Meeting. "I share many of the criticisms I've heard regarding the EU's current condition so much so that I've formulated them so often over the years, to the point of being harshly criticized even by those who are clamoring for it today," Meloni added.

" I want to state clearly that any attempt to prevent us from managing the phenomenon of illegal immigration will be rejected : no judge, politician, or bureaucrat can prevent us from enforcing Italian law, guaranteeing the safety of our citizens, fighting the slave traders of the third millennium, and saving human lives." This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the Rimini Meeting.

" One of the priorities we intend to work on with Matteo Salvini, whom I thank for his major housing plan with affordable prices for young couples, because without a home it is more difficult to start a family ." This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the Rimini Meeting, emphasizing that "we will do everything necessary to rebuild a family-friendly and birth-friendly society, in which parenthood is protected and supported."

" We have started the personal income tax reform," "now it's time to do more and focus our attention on the middle class ," Meloni said.

" We will move forward with justice reform despite the encroachments of a minority of politicized judges who are trying to replace parliament and the will of the people ," Meloni emphasized.

" On education, we must not be afraid to find tools that ensure families can fully exercise their educational freedom : Italy remains the last nation in the EU without effective educational equality. I believe it is right to think about this by clearing the field of ideological prejudices." This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the Rimini Meeting.