Italy refuses to allow the entry of migrants rescued by ships of various NGOs

More than 500 migrants are found on board the 'Geo Barents' waiting for a safe port

MADRID, 2 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Italian authorities have once again expressed their refusal to allow the entry of migrants rescued by ships from various NGOs in the Mediterranean and have asked that it be precisely the countries whose flags these ships fly that welcome the migrants in question.

"We cannot bring migrants who are rescued at sea by foreign ships that operate without any kind of coordination with the authorities," said Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, according to the newspaper 'Corriere della Sera'.

Piantedosi has indicated that migrants who arrive in the country after being rescued by these ships account for 16 percent of arrivals, although the Government deals with the other 84 percent that arrive on Italian coasts in boats that are assisted by the authorities. "Italy will not abandon its duty to rescue people at sea, but European solidarity must become a reality," he said.

Thus, he has called for greater "solidarity" on the part of Europe and has insisted that it be the countries whose flags these ships carry that accept these migrants now that nearly a thousand of them are on board the ships 'Humanity 1 ', 'Geo Barents' and 'Ocean Viking' waiting to find a safe harbor near the Italian coast.

The 'Humanity 1' has a German flag and the other two have a Norwegian flag. NGOs have warned of bad weather conditions, which are getting worse.

The NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned that the 'Geo Barents' is waiting to find a safe port in which to dock with 572 people on board, including three pregnant women and more than 60 minors.

The organization has warned that despite the fact that all the rescues have been carried out in Maltese waters, the Government has not given rescue instructions or responded to requests for a safe port, which "contradicts international law". MSF has also asked to disembark in Italy on three other occasions.

"We have 572 people on board with 572 different stories," said Riccardo Gatti, head of the MSF search and rescue team aboard the 'Geo Barents'. "There is a boy on board who is determined to go to Germany. Her mother is there, terminally ill with cancer. She wants to see her one last time before she leaves," he said.

It is expected that this Wednesday the migration agreement reached between Italy and Libya will be renewed and that it will be in force for another three years. The pact, sponsored by the European Union, has seen the delivery of millions of euros in financial and technical assistance to the Libyan Coast Guard, which has intercepted more than 100,000 people at sea since it was first signed in 2017.

However, the NGO has denounced the "cycle of violence financed by this agreement" and has repeatedly stated that Libya "is not a safe place for migrants to be returned."