Premier Giorgia Meloni said that
"illegal migrants are the enemy of legal ones" as she addressed
the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli on Wednesday.
"We have not been able to allow many legal migrants to come to
Italy in recent years because we have had too many illegal
ones," she explained.
"Criminal organisations want to decide who has the right to
enter our country and who does not.
"My government has passed decrees expanding the quotas (for
legal migrants) for three years, above all from the nations that
help us fight against human traffickers.
"I think everyone can see that the Mediterranean is a priority
for this Italian government and the Mediterranean cannot exist
without Italy and Libya together. "This is partly the reason why
we have greatly improved cooperation on various fronts over the
last two years.
"We need to have a 360 degree approach to tackle the issue
seriously," she continued.
"Italy is working on this a great deal, especially at a
multilateral level
"The first line of intervention is the fight against human
traffickers.
"The UN tells us that this is one of the most powerful criminal
trafficking networks in the world today.
"There are people who make a lot of money using the desperation
of the vulnerable, and we cannot allow it".
She said Italy was giving a good example via the Mattei Plan,
which seeks to create a new partnership with African countries
to address the root causes of irregular migration and turn Italy
into a sort of hub for energy supplies.
"I don't think charity is the right approach, the predatory
approach is certainly wrong," she said.
"The right way is strategic cooperation between equals, taking
;;investments to Africa that solve problems for both parties".
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