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Refugees disembark from the MV Aquarius after it arrived in Augusta on the island of Sicily, Italy, January 30, 2018. Image Credit: Reuters

Rome: Italy's foreign ministry said it had summoned the French ambassador on Wednesday, amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries over the handling of a refugee crisis.

On Tuesday French President Emmanuel Macron accused Italy of "irresponsibility" after the Rome government refused to open its ports to an NGO ship carrying hundreds of refugees in the Mediterranean.