Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Monday welcomed France’s position on the issue of migrants, and criticized Berlin, accused of financing NGOs that help migrants in Italy, reports the news site “Mediapart “.
During a lively press conference with his French counterpart Catherine Colonna, in Paris, the head of Italian diplomacy declared: “We must face the problems together, which are European”.
“Italy particularly appreciated Emmanuel Macron’s comments regarding collaboration on immigration,” underlined Tajani, quoted by “Mediapart”.
French President Emmanuel Macron insisted last week on the “duty of European solidarity” towards Rome, which is facing massive arrivals of irregular migrants.
Since September 11, more than 15,000 migrants from the North African coast have arrived in Italy, most of them landing on the island of Lampedusa, located 150 km from the Tunisian coast.
Nearly 130,000 irregular migrants reached the Italian coast compared to 68,200 in 2022 over the same period, according to the Italian Ministry of the Interior.
“As for Germany, I will be in Berlin on Thursday,” and “I am waiting for explanations from the German government,” Tajani said.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wrote to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday to complain about Berlin’s funding of charitable NGOs helping irregular migrants in Italy, points out the French news site.
“It is not a question of fighting migrants, it is a question of fighting against the criminals who exploit the desperation of these people,” clarified the Italian minister.
For her part, Catherine Colonna declared: “We need greater cooperation from countries of origin, countries of transit, who must make commitments, stick with our help,” reports “Mediapart”.
This article is originally published on aa.com.tr
