Rome: The funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday brings about an unexpected opportunity for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s efforts at bringing Rome to the centre of global diplomacy.
US President Donald Trump has announced his presence for the funeral as Rome works with the Vatican’s diplomacy to receive delegations from 170 countries. President Droupadi Murmu will be visiting Vatican City to attend the State Funeral of Pope Francis and offer condolences on behalf of the government and people of India. The Indian delegation would also include Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Minority Affairs and Fisheries George Kurian; and Deputy Speaker of Goa Assembly Joshua De Souza. Trump’s presence in Rome for the funeral creates an opportunity for conversations and discussions with Italian Prime Minister Meloni which would have probably taken weeks or months to coordinate. It is expected that Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella will host a meeting with Presidents Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Meloni’s presence to discuss a strategy for the future of Ukraine. The US President has also announced that he expects to have “meetings” with other international leaders in Rome.
Meanwhile, it seems European Commission President Von der Leyen is trying to conduct a bilateral meeting with the US President during a visit to the eternal city.
The Italian Prime Minister’s visit to Washington concluded with President Trump accepting her invitation to Rome for an EU-US summit in late May. Pope’s funeral presents Von der Leyen, who felt excluded from the decision-making process, an opportunity to push for a bilateral meeting and take control of the narrative.
Meloni and Trump will jointly meet world leaders and other senior representatives who will be in Rome for the funeral, especially those from the Middle East. In the past 24 hours, Meloni has had a call with the Sultan of Oman, after his return from Moscow as well as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the terror attack in Pahalgam. (IANS)
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