Later during the month, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi will be meeting Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi to discuss Italy and Malta’s joint illegal immigration problem. Malta and Italy have recently witnessed an influx of illegal immigrants crossing the Mediterranean shores from North Africa to seek refuge in their countries.
The meeting will take place on the 25th July at Palazzo Chigi, in Rome.
In turn, Minister for Justice and Internal Affairs Tonio Borg met his Italian counterpart Giuliano Amato on Friday. Their discussions focused on illegal immigration as well. According to TGcom the Ministers called for reinforced collaboration between the two countries to manage surmounting illegal immigration problems more effectively.
 According to The Times during the upcoming meeting, Dr Gonzi and Prof. Prodi are also expected to discuss the EU's policy dealing with the Mediterranean. Libya’s role in the influx of illegal immigration is expected to be touched upon. Libya is yet to commit itself to cooperating over the introduction of patrols by Frontex, the EU border agency.
In just three weeks, more than 500 illegal immigrants reached Maltese shores, bringing the total of illegal immigrants landing in Malta to 967 since January 2006. This figure is almost double that of 2005 during the same period, which stood at 473. In turn, 106 asylum seekers reached the Italian island of Lampedusa on Friday.
Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo met with resident European Union (EU) Ambassadors in Malta and made strong representations on illegal immigration. He said that Malta believes that Frontex should immediately launch joint sea patrols in the central Mediterranean in an attempt to stem the flow of illegal migrants and to transmit the message that concrete action is underway also in respect of this route.
"This immediate assistance confirms the excellent relationship between the two countries, and shows that Egypt is a true friend of Malta," the government statement had said.
See also:
Minister Frendo insists on illegal immigration aid
By MaltaMedia News
Jul 4, 2006, 13:27 CET
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