The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has been «very surprised» by the «aggressive reaction» of the French Government on account of the reception of the ship ‘Ocean Viking’, with more than 200 migrants on board, and has warned that «it is not written» in any agreement «that Italy has to be the only port of disembarkation».
The French authorities announced the suspension of a plan to welcome 3,500 refugees arriving in Italy after the transalpine country refused to allow the docking of the SOS Mediterranée ship, which has finally sailed to the Gallic port of Toulon.
«When there is talk of retaliation in an EU dynamic, something is wrong,» Meloni lamented, in a public appearance in which he has branded as «incomprehensible» and «unjustified» the reaction of Paris, given that Italy has received 90,000 migrants this year.
However, he has raised not to «discuss» in bilateral terms and, instead, to elevate the debate to the European level, where there must be a «common solution», as reported by Rai. «We need to address the defense of the EU’s external borders,» he has demanded.
Meloni does not expect drastic measures against Italy just «because, out of 90,000 people, 230 have arrived elsewhere.» In case of an escalation of tensions at the political level, he believes that those who want to «isolate» Italy must give explanations to its citizens and not only to the newly constituted government.
The rise of the far-right to power in Italy has meant a hardening of the migratory discourse which, as first measures, has resulted in limitations on the disembarkation of migrants rescued by NGOs in Mediterranean waters. Despite the criticism, Meloni «surely» believes that there will be more measures in this area.
The French government allowed the ‘Ocean Viking’ to dock after concluding an agreement that implies that France will take in only one third of the migrants in need of protection. The remaining two thirds will be shared between Germany, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Malta, Portugal, Luxembourg and Ireland.
