Francesco Talò hangs up. Giorgia Meloni’s diplomatic advisor has resigned after being the victim of a telephone hoax by two Russian comedians posing as African Union officials.
It was Giorgia Meloni herself who announced it during a press conference after the Council of Ministers, regretting that this issue had been “handled lightly” and had “exposed the nation”.
A misstep “
Francesco Talò, a career diplomat who notably served as Italy’s ambassador to NATO as well as to Israel, “took responsibility for it,” she said.
“We have received at least 80 such phone calls and I am sorry that this misstep calls into question everything that has been done. I thank him as well as the diplomatic services,” she added.
Trudeau, Boris Johnson, Elton John…
Giorgia Meloni’s office confirmed on Wednesday that she had had a telephone conversation with a duo of Russian comedians who had posed as senior officials of the African Union Commission.
During this conversation in English, the Prime Minister spoke of “a form of weariness on all sides” of the international community regarding the war in Ukraine. Russian comedians Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, known as “Vovan” and “Lexus”, are famous for pranking leaders and celebrities around the world, from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, through the star Elton John.