The arrival of Joe Biden in Rome the G20 actually opened, which will take place between today and tomorrow before giving way to the Cop26 in Glasgow. And the US president, after his meeting with the Pope, in his talks with the president Sergio Mattarella and the premier Mario Draghi he praised Italy's role in strengthening and spreading the values of democracy and fighting the sovereign and populist pressures to which it is subjected. “You're doing an amazing job. We need to demonstrate that democracies can work and that we can produce a new economic model. You are doing it,” Biden told Draghi. In turn, Draghi thanked the American leader "for his support for our presidency of the G20 and for his determination to proceed with the environmental transition". Together the two leaders "reaffirmed the solidity of the transatlantic link, and the usefulness of developing European defense also for transatlantic security, in a relationship of complementarity". A frank and friendly conversation, underlined the official sources of the two countries, which took place in a friendly atmosphere.
Biden also thanked Mattarella "for the leadership of the G20 on climate, the fight against Covid and recovery" and in a note from the White House Biden expresses gratitude for Italy's contribution to NATO and for having temporarily welcomed over 4.000 Afghans, who then they will be welcomed by the United States in August. Biden and Mattarella "also discussed the shared work to update the global rules for the XNUMXst century economy based on shared democratic values", concludes the US note.
Joe Biden also had a meeting with the French president Emmanuel Macron, at the headquarters of the Paris embassy to the Holy See, after the diplomatic incident following the story of the Aukus pact on the supply of submarines, signed by Austrialia and Great Britain with the USA and precisely excluding France from the maxi-order. An agreement that had provoked a harsh reaction from France and the withdrawal of the ambassador from Washington.
“What we did was clumsy and it wasn't very elegant,” Biden admitted to Macron. "I had the impression that France had been informed for some time that that contract would not be closed", continued Biden, assuring that the US has no better ally than France, "a partner of extreme value". Words that only partially reassured Macron and in any case mended the rift: "We have clarified", said the French president who then added: And then: "Trust is like love: affirmations are good, facts are better ».
