It is a total confrontation between Italy and France over migrants. Paris today announced the stop to the planned reception of 3,500 refugees currently in Italy .
Not only that, the French Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin invited "all the other participants" in the European migrant relocation mechanism - Germany in particular - to suspend the reception of refugees currently in Italy .
In the sights of Darmanin the "incomprehensible" choice of Italy not to welcome the Ocean Viking with its 234 migrants on board, the NGO ship will be welcomed on Friday in the French port of Toulon .
"We deeply regret that Italy has chosen not to consider itself as a responsible European state", said the minister, announcing "extremely serious consequences in bilateral relations" between the two countries and retaliatory measures including the " strengthening of border controls ".
The French reaction is “totally incomprehensible”, affirms Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi , “but it also shows how firm and determined the posture of other nations in the face of illegal immigration. What we do not understand is why Italy should willingly accept something that others are not willing to accept ”. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, on the other hand, speaks of a " disproportionate reaction ". “ European solidarity ... ” is the telegraphic comment by Matteo Salvini.
Meanwhile, from Ocean Viking they say they are “ extremely relieved that our ship has been assigned a safe harbor in France, which puts an end to a critical situation . But this solution tastes bitter: the 230 women, children and men aboard the Ocean Viking have gone through a terrible ordeal and are exhausted, as are our teams. The landing almost three weeks after their rescue, so far from the operational area in the central Mediterranean, is the result of a dramatic failure of all European states, which have violated maritime law in an unprecedented manner ”.
