Italy and Malta have agreed to collaborate in an effort to push the irregular immigration issue to the fore at a European level and to help Libya control its frontiers.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his Italian counterpart, Enrico Letta, also agreed on the need to put an end to the pending bilateral issue on oil exploration and the geographical complications in that regard.
Europe must do more on migration
“Europe must do more on migration,” Mr Letta said as he announced a trip to Athens at the end of July to discuss the Greek presidency of the EU in the first six months next year and the Italian presidency in the following six months.
Speaking during a news conference in Rome, Mr Letta said: “I will make sure that Malta is roped into the discussions on the way the migration issue is placed at the forefront of the two presidencies.
“Malta is our natural partner on this theme so Malta will be part of the discussions on a programme of work for these two EU presidencies. We have common positions and common thoughts, especially on the migration issue.”
He said that it was good for Greece and Italy to give the 2014 EU presidencies “a Mediterranean tinge”.
On the situation in Libya, Mr Letta said it was important that the country continued building its institutions and said that Italy had offered to train 5,000 Libyans as coastguards.
‘A new impetus for migration issue’
Dr Muscat expressed satisfaction that Italy was on board in highlighting the migration issue.
“We spoke about the problem of instability and the influx of migrants but also on economic development and the reality of life for Mediterranean citizens. There is a new impetus for this issue to be brought to the fore and other member states also want to achieve something concrete,” he said.
Dr Muscat added that, for Malta, Libya was part of the solution and not part of the problem.
“The Libyan government is looking at Europe to find a solution to migratory flows. We were happy to hear that Italy wants to help too. We hope this issue will not be one of secondary importance and not something that will be received with indifference,” he said.
The two prime ministers also spoke on bilateral issues, primarily on oil exploration and agreed to restart technical discussion with a view to hammer out solutions.
Dr Muscat added that the two counties will explore the idea of joint exploration rather than bickering on geography and where the territorial waters of each country starts and stops.
“After years of nothing, there is an issue which has to be resolved and we will look into the possibility on joint explorations,” he said.
Mr Letta said he gladly accepted Dr Muscat’s invitation to visit Malta, adding he hoped this would happen soon.
Fielding questions by Maltese journalists, Mr Letta confirmed there was “synergy” between him, Dr Muscat and French President Francois Hollande.
“We want a Europe which is closer to citizens and one which is more Mediterranean. I am convinced that together we can achieve this. Our mission is to make the Mediterranean not the place of instability but instead focus on the positive.”
Mr Letta ignored a question on his government’s position on push-backs (forcing immigrants to return to their point of departure without processing asylum applications) in view of suggestions that Italy is secretly deporting migrants.