Antonio Tajani, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Italian government, described the situation of migrants stranded at the border between Tunisia and Libya as “extremely complex.”
The Italian official’s remarks came during an interview with the newspaper “La Stampa”, responding to a question about the importance of respecting human rights in the international agreement between the European Union and Tunisia on migration. This was at a time when the latter’s authorities were deporting migrants to the Libyan border, leaving them to perish in the desert.
Tajani stated, “We have asked the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to address this situation.”
He added, “The issue is certainly very complex: We must not only help the migrants but also the Tunisian citizens who face challenges and suffer from this situation. The funds granted to the Tunisian government are also used to assist Tunisians. Nothing more can be done.”
The head of Italian diplomacy spoke of “the need for a European strategy to find new ways” to overcome crises, “otherwise the danger is that Russia will strengthen its position in various global scenarios.” He noted that “one of the goals is to try to minimize the damage.”
The United Nations had previously expressed its deep concern about “the expulsion of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers from Tunisia to the borders with Libya and Algeria.” Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the United Nations, said in a press conference last week that “many of those stranded on the Tunisian-Libyan border have perished.” He also pointed to reports indicating that “hundreds of people there, including pregnant women and children, are enduring extremely harsh conditions, with limited access to food and water.”
