Premier Giorgia Meloni has said that
"I will not allow Italy to become Europe's refugee camp" in New
York, where she is taking part in the United Nations General
Assembly.
The premier has said that a surge in migrant-boat arrivals to
the island of Lampedusa has put Italy under "unsustainable
pressure".
In New York she dismissed criticism of the Memorandum of
Understanding that the EU has signed with Tunisia for
cooperation on stopping human traffickers using its coasts to
launch migrant-boat departures.
Meloni was instrumental in bringing about the agreement.
"It's important the the memorandum with Tunisia is taken
forward," she said.
"It is a model to use with other nations too".
The premier said there was "great attention and awareness" about
the migrant situation and "a lot of solidarity.
"The problem is to see when, and to what degree, that solidarity
will become concrete acts," she added.
"That's what I am interested in now".
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