Vita gazette- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced that Italy will be an essential bridge between Africa and Europe. And she said that to prevent illegal immigration, the continent will develop first and human traffickers will be fought. They will launch agriculture, energy, infrastructure, education, water and sanitation projects in Africa.

Today’s first International Conference on Development and Migration was held at the Farnesina in Rome. The conference’s purpose was to create a confrontation between the heads of the European institutions and the representatives of the Mediterranean countries, to develop a common strategy for the containment and management of migratory flows. Prime Minister Meloni expressed the following opinions:

“Italy can play in the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Middle East.”

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, in her speech at the International Conference on Development and Migration “We are inevitably a bridge between Europe, Africa and the Middle East. I realised Italy’s role in the Mediterranean, Africa, and the Middle East: our yesterday, our today and our tomorrow. They are not abstract ideas, and Italy’s role is not an abstract idea. Italy has what it takes to play a leading role in the Mediterranean and Africa. We must help these nations, accompany them, and try to understand their difficulties. A wide-ranging collaboration is needed to support development in Africa. This is where the initiative for this conference came from”.

“Trade between Italy and Africa has recorded an average increase of almost 7% and today stands at around 70 billion euros. Last year our imports grew by almost 90%,” continued Meloni during the press conference on migrants.

“The Rome process is born with the conference on migrants.”

“This is a unique initiative of its kind in which I strongly believe it does not want to be a closed format, but we consider it the beginning of a path that we like to call the ‘Rome process’, which must strengthen the dialogue between us, but also be open to other contributions.”

“Poverty”

“We must strengthen anti-poverty initiatives; the issue of cooperation is the most important. Nations that had not collaborated now understand that interests are converging, and cooperating is necessary. I speak of Process because we give ourselves a broad path; it is the beginning of a strategic path, other countries will be involved, and the work will take many years,” Meloni underlined.

Stopping human trafficking networks: “It is a goal that we all share. Alongside this, it is necessary to help those fleeing war and terrorism and who need international law to be respected”.

“Borders exist, and migration must be managed.”

“Borders exist, and migration must be governed. We need to deal with how to guarantee asylum to those fleeing war, persecution and terrorism”.

“We need migrants but not illegal entries.”

“Italy and Europe need immigration, but we cannot give the signal that those who enter illegally will be rewarded”.

“The network of traffickers who manage illegal migration”

“People lives, hopes, and sufferings are at the centre of migratory flows. We must take care of the fate of these people. We need a common commitment and more collaboration to counter the network of traffickers who manage illegal migration”.

“More aid to those who welcome more refugees is a duty.”

“Support for refugees and displaced persons is a duty from which no one can shirk. Those fleeing wars and catastrophes have the right to save themselves. But this right cannot automatically lead to the right to be welcomed everywhere. Therefore, solidarity must strengthen the economic support for those who find themselves welcoming more refugees”.

“We need coordination between intelligence structures.”

“On the issue of combating illegal immigration, I think our priority should be to strengthen collaboration between our police forces, the judicial authorities of the different states, the commitment to prosecute human traffickers, to update legislation, when it is lacking, so that the work done by a nation is not then made in vain. From this point of view, I believe and propose that coordination between our intelligence structures would be useful because we always talk about the smugglers. Still, the smuggler is these organisations’ last link in an ever longer chain”.

Tajani: “We don’t want the Mediterranean to be a cemetery.”

In the conference’s opening speech, Etseri Minister Antonio Tajani said, “We don’t want the Mediterranean to be a cemetery of people who leave their homes. Instead, we want the Mediterranean extended to the Indo-Pacific to be a sea of ​​peace and progress. Great initiatives can only exist if built together”.

Von der Leyen: “Destroy the business of traffickers.”

The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who was present at the International Conference on Development and Migration at the Farnesina, also expressed her opinion on the subject: “We must repress the traffickers and destroy their cynical business model. Opening new legal pathways between our continents can create a real and safe alternative to dangerous sea travel. In the EU, we are working to promote resettlement and humanitarian admission. We must join forces to dismantle criminals’ cruel and illegal business models and raise awareness of the lies that traffickers spread. We want our agreement with Tunisia to be a model. A project for the future for other partnerships with other countries in the region”.

The summit came a week after Tunisian President Kays Said signed a memorandum of understanding for a “comprehensive strategic partnership” in a meeting also attended by Meloni and Ursula von der Leyen. The message of the contract provides that Tunisia will be given about 1 billion euros to help revive the economy. Although Said had previously said, “We will not be the European border guards”, he accepted Brussels’ offer in the final round.

The Conference was attended by the leaders of almost all the states on the southern shores of the enlarged Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Gulf, the EU States of the first port and some partners from the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, the heads of the European institutions and international financial institutions. In detail, five heads of state (Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, Libya, Cyprus), eight prime ministers (Libya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Malta, Jordan, Nigeria, Algeria, Lebanon), and eight ministers (Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Oman, Kuwait, Turkey, Greece, Qatar, Bahrain). Also present were the heads of international organisations and the leaders of numerous United Nations agencies.