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Olaf Scholz on the phone
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CLEMENS BILAN / EPA-EFE
Olaf Scholz congratulated the new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on her election victory over the phone.
The chancellor congratulated the head of government on taking office, said his spokesman Steffen Hebestreit.
In addition, the war in Ukraine and "current bilateral and European policy issues" were discussed.
Social Democrat Scholz and Meloni, head of the post-fascist party Fratelli d'Italia, have also expressed their interest in good cooperation and partnership in the EU, NATO and G7, Hebestreit said.
It was the first conversation between the two after Meloni's election victory in September and taking office a few days ago.
Immediately after her success, Scholz had already congratulated Meloni on Twitter.
This was also met with criticism within the SPD (read more here).
He is looking forward to continued close cooperation with Italy in the EU, NATO and G7, he wrote.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also congratulated Meloni via Twitter and pointed out that she was the first woman in office.
SPD Health Minister Karl Lauterbach commented on this on Twitter with the words: "This is not feminism."
According to the head of government in Rome, Meloni and Scholz spoke specifically about the energy crisis, migration issues in Europe and economic growth.
Meloni emphasized the importance of a common European strategy in the fight against rising energy costs, it said.
In recent weeks, Italy and other European countries have criticized certain measures taken by Germany.
They rate them as not showing solidarity in the crisis.
The new Italian government, which, alongside Meloni's party, consists of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's conservative Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini's right-wing populist Lega, took over office from Mario Draghi last Sunday.
as/dpa