ROME: Italy said on Monday that Spain's offer to take in a migrant rescue ship drifting in the Mediterranean vindicated Rome's decision to prevent it docking in Italian ports and showed the new government's tough line on immigration was paying off.
"Victory!" tweeted Matteo Salvini, deputy prime minister and leader of the far-right League, after the offer from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to admit the ship carrying 629 migrants to the port of Valencia.
"To politely raise one's voice pays off; it's something Italy hasn't done for many years," Salvini, who in his role as interior minister is leading the crackdown on immigration, said at a news conference.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also welcomed Spain's move, saying on Facebook that Italy was "no longer alone", and adding that the goal was now to make the European Union rules on asylum "fairer for everybody."
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.