Italy's prime minister Matteo Renzi and French president François Hollande played down tensions Sunday over a migrant crisis which has seen hundreds of asylum seekers blocked at the border between the two countries, reports Yahoo! News.
"I don't think there are tensions between us... sometimes ministers can let themselves go with statements, it's like engaged couples who have been together a long time," prime minister Renzi quipped during a joint press conference in Milan.
The leaders were meeting ahead of a European summit on June 25 and 26 which is expected to focus on the relocation and resettlement of asylum seekers and return policies for would-be economic migrants.
Italy, which has seen almost 60,000 migrants arrive this year, has been struggling to accommodate asylum seekers, and the tightening of controls at the French border has left many sleeping rough in the country's main train stations.
Another 740 boat migrants were brought to safety in Calabria in southern Italy on Sunday.