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Added on the 11/11/2022 12:52:03 - Copyright : AFP EN
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday condemned what she called the "aggressive reaction" of the French government to taking in a migrant rescue vessel rejected by Rome. She told a press conference it was "incomprehensible and unjustified", after Paris said it would accept the Ocean Viking and the 234 migrants onboard, but suspend a previous plan to take in 3,500 refugees currently in Italy. FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta reports from Rome, Italy.
Following a surge in people arriving on the Italian island of Lampedusa by boat, experts say a better response is needed to the ongoing migration crisis.
Ocean Viking, a charity-run ship,carrying around 230 migrants rescued at sea docked at a French port on Friday after being turned away by Italy, as a war of words over their fate between the two European Union neighbours intensified. As France's row with Italy escalates, FRANCE 24 is joined by Judith Sunderland, Human Rights Watch (HRW) Associate Director and Migration / Asylum policy expert.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hit back at France on Friday in a row over who should be responsible for taking in migrants rescued at sea. "I was struck by the aggressive reaction from the French government which from my point of view is incomprehensible and unjustified," Meloni told a news conference, adding that Italy could not be the only destination for migrants from Africa.
Tensions mounted between France and Italy on Wednesday over the fate of an NGO ship carrying 234 migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, with Paris calling the refusal by Italian authorities to let the vessel dock "unacceptable." It was the latest European standoff over where to disembark migrants picked up after trying to reach Europe from North Africa, with Italy increasingly frustrated at taking in the bulk of those rescued. FRANCE 24's Dave Keating explains why this is a "very European issue".
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