The drop in arrivals of illegal immigrants was probably due to the agreement reached between Italy and Libya, Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said this morning.

Speaking during an interview with PBS journalist Fiorella Pace on Radio 101, the minister said that through the agreement, Italy has agreed to finance €250 million worth of projects in Libya each year for the next 20 years. It also gave Libya four patrol boats, which were being used by Libyans in their territorial waters.

He said that these measures were coupled with the Italian government’s policy to send back to Libya people it caught entering its territorial waters. It could do this because Libya agreed to accept these people after this agreement was signed.

He reiterated that it was unfair to blame Malta or Italy for the death of Eritreans, as claimed by five who entered Lampedusa on Thursday. The interview was recorded on Friday, as the Eritreans’ saga was starting to unfold.

The Foreign Minister spoke on the EU burden sharing agreement saying this was the best way to persuade member states to share the burden. They could not be forced to take immigrants so one had to use the powers of persuasion and insistence.

He announced that the Polish Prime Minister would be visiting Malta in October and the King of Spain in November.

Dr Borg said that a liaison centre for the Union of the Mediterranean was being set up at the former MCESD premises hear the police headquarters. This would open in November.