Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, said that it is difficult to amend the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with Libya related to the immigration file, but it will be evaluated.
The Italian Minister demanded the need to work for peace and refugees in the region. He pointed out that the immigration problem must be resolved, not only in the short term, but even in the long term.
Tajani noted that the current general situation is very complex and dangerous and there are huge problems in Libya, Tunisia, Somalia, Chad, Syria, Lebanon and Afghanistan.
Notably, the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, has critiqued the MoU between Italy and Libya, that was put into effect during Paolo Gentiloni’s term as Prime Minister under the Democratic Party’s leadership.
In her address to the Italian House of Representatives (HoR) before the forthcoming European summit, Meloni noted that the migration pact was later overseen by then-Interior Minister, Marco Minniti. Interestingly, she pointed out that there are now skeptics questioning the dialogue with these key players, implying a marked inconsistency in the approach.
Meloni has sought to distance herself from this agreement, which was signed by Gentiloni’s government alongside Libyan factions allied with the former Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Fayez al-Sarraj.
The pact has been branded as “questionable”, given that some involved have been accused of participating in migrant smuggling operations.
The Italy-Libya migration agreement was signed in February 2017 when Paolo Gentiloni was the Prime Minister of Italy.
It aimed to reduce the flow of migrants from Libya to Italy, which had increased dramatically during the years of instability following the fall of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi in 2011. This agreement saw Italy providing support, including training and equipment, to the Libyan Coast Guard to help them prevent migrants from leaving Libyan shores for Italy.
The agreement was controversial, with critics arguing that it led to migrants being trapped in Libya and subjected to severe human rights abuses.
