France and Italy strengthen strategic defense partnership

The meeting was held in Cap d'Antibes on the French Riviera, marking another step in implementing the 2021 Quirinal Treaty. The leaders of France and Italy held talks at Villa Eilenroc, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Before the working sessions, they also visited the Picasso Museum in Antibes.

During the summit, Macron and Meloni discussed a broad range of bilateral and European issues. The two sides reviewed a defense cooperation roadmap and a number of additional agreements in the defense and energy sectors.

Paris and Rome reaffirmed their shared approach to managing migration flows across the Mediterranean. The leaders also discussed progress on the Tende Tunnel project and other cross-border infrastructure initiatives.

EU experts noted that the Antibe Summit was the first major bilateral meeting following a period of strained relations, partly due to disagreements over migration policy.

The meeting demonstrated both governments' willingness to focus on pragmatic cooperation despite differences in their political approaches.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that French President Emmanuel Macron announced a major shift in France’s nuclear doctrine, pledging to strengthen deterrence amid what he described as a deteriorating global security environment.