The Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, criticized this Friday (11) France's reaction to the case of the Ocean Viking humanitarian ship and said that Paris acted in an “incomprehensible and unjustifiable” way.
The vessel from the NGO SOS Méditerranée had rescued 234 people in the Mediterranean Sea at the end of October, but did not receive authorization to dock in Italy or Malta, which would be the closest safe ports.
After more than two weeks of impasse and amid deteriorating conditions on board, the Ocean Viking sailed for around a thousand kilometers to reach Toulon, in the south of France, where the migrants were able to disembark.
However, in retaliation, Emmanuel Macron's government suspended an agreement to welcome 3,5 asylum seekers living in Italy and increased controls on the border between the two countries.
“I was very impressed by the aggressive reaction of the French government, incomprehensible and unjustifiable,” Meloni stated during a press conference this Friday in Rome. In power for less than a month, the Prime Minister is already at the center of a crisis pitting two of the three largest economies in the European Union against each other.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said last Thursday (10) that Rome acted in an “incomprehensible” manner and that the case would have “serious consequences for bilateral relations”, and also asked other EU countries to suspend the relocation of asylum seekers sheltered in Italy.
“The request to isolate Italy reveals a curious dynamic. They talk about solidarity… I want to hope that this doesn’t happen, it wouldn’t be smart”, replied Meloni. According to the prime minister, Italy “is no longer able to deal with” the migration crisis and cannot be the “only port of disembarkation for migrants from the Mediterranean”.
“We have already welcomed 90 thousand this year. The agreement provides for 8 people to be relocated, but so far only 117 have been redistributed, 38 of which in France. Something isn’t working,” he added. (with information from Ansa)
