Media: Meloni skips Munich conference after embarrassing Merz remarks

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni opted out of attending the Munich Security Conference, choosing instead to travel to Africa, reportedly due to embarrassment over German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s comments on a transatlantic rift between Europe and the US.

According to the Italian newspaper Repubblica, while most European leaders discuss Ukraine and the highly complex US–EU relationship, the Prime Minister traveled more than 7,000 km and landed at Addis Ababa airport.

German sources cited by the publication note that Meloni was given the honor of speaking immediately after Merz this year. Nevertheless, she chose not to attend the forum.

Repubblica links her absence to a desire to overcome the “embarrassment” caused by Merz’s remarks about a split across the Atlantic. The newspaper emphasizes that Meloni consistently seeks to bridge divisions to maintain “Western unity.”

Earlier, The Financial Times reported that European officials were on edge awaiting remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the Munich conference, reflecting the need to gauge President Donald Trump’s views on America’s historical allies.

By Jeyhun Aghazada