Italian Foreign Minister, Antonio Tajani, has praised cooperation with third countries as part of his country's strategy for combatting illegal migration. Tajani stressed that irregular arrivals have fallen by nearly 60 percent and that efforts along this path must be stepped up.
"We have made Africa a priority precisely to strengthen our cooperation with countries of origin and transit. Inter-ministerial cooperation is essential. We must combat criminal networks and address the root causes of migration in a structured manner. The results are there: irregular arrivals have fallen by almost 60 percent," said Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
Tajani was speaking at a conference of ambassadors, held at the Italian Foreign Office, on December 15 and 16. The Foreign Office is known in Italy as La Farnesina. The conference was the 18th held, and Tajani was speaking during a session dedicated to the subject of migration.
"This is an extraordinary achievement for the government and therefore also for ambassadors, who are part of this strategy. But we cannot slow down: when things are moving in the right direction, that is precisely when we must press on," Tajani added.
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Returns are also up, says Piantedosi
"We remain the leading European Union country for irregular migrant arrivals: as of December 9, we have recorded 64,000 irregular arrivals by sea," Tajani noted.
"A phenomenon that is global by nature, such as migration, must be addressed through close cooperation with the countries of origin, transit, and destination," he added.
"This is the second year in which we have consolidated a significant reduction in irregular flows of migrants towards Italy. Arrivals have decreased by nearly 60 percent," confirmed Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, speaking at the same conference.
This year, "we also increased the number of returns, surpassing 6,000 forced repatriations," he added, pointing to "a particularly significant example of fruitful cooperation with Ivory Coast, a country from which irregular arrivals have been virtually eliminated. When we took office, it was the nationality most frequently declared upon disembarkation. Now, by contrast, irregular arrivals from that country have been essentially reduced to zero, also thanks to incisive bilateral action."
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'The Mediterranean route generates 1 billion dollars a year for smugglers'
"With the same level of commitment, we are also working in South Asia, from where the majority of migrants departing from Libya originate, along routes that often pass through Gulf countries and Egypt," Piantedosi said.
The Minister further specified that "the Central Mediterranean route generates revenues of around one billion dollars (around 853.2 million euros) a year for smugglers," explaining that this figure also emerges from interviews conducted with migrants "at the time of disembarkation."
According to Piantedosi, irregular migration routes "are not spontaneous phenomena, but organized systems of transnational trafficking that thrive when the states' capacity to intervene fails to keep pace with the adaptability of criminal organizations."
The Interior Minister stated that some international organizations estimate "a total turnover of 5 to 6 billion dollars from migration. If this were the case, the segment affecting Italy alone would account for about 20 percent of global turnover," he underscored.
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