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France will take passengers stranded in the Mediterranean for more than two weeks from a migrant rescue boat after Italy denied them entry, the country’s interior minister said.
France will welcome some 230 passengers of the Viking of the Seas at the military port in the city of Toulon on Friday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
Passengers will then be allocated to France, Germany and other European countries, Mr Dalmanin said.
“Everything will be done to provide passengers with the necessary health and medical assistance” and security controls, Mr Darmanin told reporters in Paris after the government’s weekly cabinet meeting.
The migrant boat, operated by the European charity SOS Mediterranee, sparked a firestorm after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni approved three more private sea rescue ships to dock in Italy under pressure from other European countries. diplomatic rift.
Ms Meloni then opened fire to announce that France had agreed to take over the Viking of the Seas, although the French government had not made such a commitment publicly.
Her statement and Italy’s repeated refusal to let migrants off the ship angered French officials. Mr. Damanin could hardly contain the French anger at the Roman government.
He slammed Italy’s response to the charity’s operation of the vessel as “unacceptable” and said Italy’s refusal to allocate a port for the Viking of the Seas was “incomprehensible”.
Dalmanin said that “France will take measures in the next few hours to strengthen border security with Italy” and adjust bilateral relations accordingly.
He added: “France deeply regrets that Italy does not accept to behave like a responsible European country.”
“Managing migration flows in the Mediterranean is a European issue that involves all of us and requires a European response,” Mr Dalmanin said.
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