LONDON: The new EU Special Representative for the Gulf had his official Twitter account suspended within 24 hours of its creation for what the platform said was a violation of its rules.
It remains unclear what rules Luigi Di Maio’s profile broke, just a day after it was created by the former Italian Foreign Minister created to share updates on his new role.
The suspension was lifted within hours.
Di Maio launched the institutional account — @EUSR_Gulf — on June 1, coinciding with his official start. He shared his enthusiasm for the new role in a tweet published in Arabic, Persian, English and Italian.
1st day in office as EUSR for the Gulf. Ready & fully committed to engage w/ EU Member States & institutions, & each of our partners in the region. So much at stake and so much to do, through genuine dialogue & mutual respect. For our shared security & prosperity. @JosepBorrellF
— Luigi Di Maio (@EUSR_Gulf) June 1, 2023
“First day in office as the EU Special Representative for the Gulf. Ready and fully committed to engaging with the member states and institutions of the EU, as well as each of our partners in the region,” he said in the post.
“There is so much at stake and so much to be done through genuine dialogue and mutual respect. For our common security and prosperity.”
However, before a second tweet could be shared, Twitter suspended the account.
Di Maio’s new role represents a fresh start after he left Five Star following setbacks in last year’s Italian elections.
His appointment was however criticized at home and in Europe due to a series of faux pas he made while foreign minister.
In 2019, he caused the first diplomatic crisis between Italy and France since World War Two, leading to the withdrawal of the French ambassador from Rome, after he publicly supported the Yellow vests movement as members were demolishing the entrance of a government building in Paris.
He had previously stated that Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was Venezuelan and that Russia was a country in the Mediterranean.
