The Italian foreign minister, Antonio Tajani spoke to the press in New York on September 17 about the situation regarding migration in Italy at the moment. He was in New York on the eve of the UN General Assembly.

Italy's top diplomat said that "UN resolutions are important but concrete initiatives are needed [to manage migration] and I think that, for example, we could enlarge UNHCR reception camps for women fleeing and families in difficulty, as well as those stuck in the desert and who are at risk of dying:"

Tajani was attending the meeting with the intention of discussing the current migration situation in Italy, after more than 7,000 migrants arrived on Lampedusa in the space of just a few days.

The foreign minister underscored the need for economic and financial investments to help manage migration. He called on the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help, and said that he thought investment should help create a development bank for Africa.

Italy asks Europe for more support

"The situation is not explosive; it has already exploded," Tajani declared. Turning to an example in ancient history, he added: "There is the movement of millions and millions of people and there are no walls that can keep them out. Look at the history of the barbarian invasion. They were not stopped by the Romans, the strongest army in military history," he added.

The minister then met with European Parliament president Roberta Metsola, who explained that at the parliament there are legislative proposals on the table and "we are working every day with the hope that by the [time of the] European elections we will have a package of laws that finally address the problems, the challenges, with solutions."

Metsola added that it is necessary to take action on the issues of repatriation, asylum, and solidarity.