Italian Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio praised Albania’s decision to host 20 of the 150 African immigrants blocked for days on the Sicilian coast after Italian authorities stopped anchoring at the peak of disputes with European Union countries on the issue of illegal immigrants.
“In the end, after 4 days we managed to at least have the solidarity and support of countries like Albania, which continues the way to join the European Union but which is more European than many of the nations that have joined the European Union already”,
Di Maio said.
Italian authorities allowed the disembarkation at the Catania Harbor of 137 immigrants, mainly from Eritrea, who had been saved from drowning in the Mediterranean waters with the help of the “Diccioti” ship. The disembarkation permit came after the agreement that 20 immigrants are accommodated in Albania, 20 in Ireland and over 100 are kept under the remembrance of the Catholic Church and the Vatican authorities./tvklan.al
