Premier Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday
that it was slanderous to say that her government was letting
people die at sea as she addressed the Lower House before this
week's EU summit.
Her government has come under fire over the February 26
shipwreck off the Calabrian town of Cutro in which at least 87
people died.
Meloni said that groundless "insinuations" had been made
suggesting the government had not wanted the victims of the
Cutro disaster to be saved.
"To tell the world that we let children die in the Mediterranean
is not just slander against the government, but also against the
Italian State, against the men and women of the forces of law
and order, against our whole system," Meloni said.
Italy has long been pressing its EU partners to shoulder more of
the burden of migrant reception which falls largely on Italy
across the central Mediterranean.
The premier said that Italy has been "left alone to do this job,
often beyond the national borders".
She added that, despite this, her government has a good record
on saving people at sea.
"According to the UNHCR, a total of 25,692 people died in the
Mediterranean between 2013 and 2023," Meloni said.
"We know that the risk of something going wrong is intrinsic in
the departures and deaths at sea have occurred with all
governments.
"I looked at the percentages of the people saved with respect to
the number of crossings and the figures for this government are
lower.
"The data dismantles the propaganda".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA