Italian Prime Minister Giordano Mellon has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of campaigning at the G-7 summit in Puglia, after Macron called for parliamentary elections in France, which he initiated to counter the growing influence of the right wing.

“There is no reason to create disputes on issues on which we have long agreed,” Meloni said on the first day of the summit in Puglia’s Borgo Egnazia resort.

“And, I believe, it is completely wrong to use such a valuable platform as the G-7 for propaganda purposes in such difficult times,” the Italian Prime Minister said.

Meloni’s warm relationship with other leaders was evident when welcoming them to the G7 summit. However, tensions were clearly visible when welcoming Macron.

Meanwhile, news agency Reuters quoted diplomats present at the summit as saying that Italy has demanded the removal of references to “safe and legal abortion” from the final statement of this week’s G-7 summit.

Notably, the 2023 G7 communiqué issued after the leaders’ summit in Japan called for “access to safe and legal abortion and post-abortion care.”

The confrontation between Meloni and Macron, known for their turbulent history, comes against the backdrop of growing concerns over Macron’s recent decision to call snap elections that could potentially have ramifications across the continent.