Trans-Mediterranean Forum on Migration: Remarks by Giorgia Meloni

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made remarks on migration and the energy crisis while attending the Trans-Mediterranean Migration Forum in Tripoli, Libya, on Wednesday.

Ms. Meloni stressed the importance of the fight against human trafficking.

"There are people who make a lot of money by taking advantage of the despair of vulnerable people. And we cannot allow this, because these organizations become very powerful, but they do not care about human rights and human beings."

Libya is a major, if deadly, route for migrants trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea from different parts of Africa.

Migrants who reach the coast pay to board poorly equipped and overloaded boats before embarking on risky sea journeys.

Italy is one of the main points of arrival on the other side of the Mediterranean.

According to the United Nations, more and more African migrants and refugees are heading north towards the Mediterranean and Europe, crossing perilous routes through the Sahara, where criminal gangs subject them to slavery, organ harvesting, rape, kidnapping for ransom and other abuses.

A recent report by the UN refugee and migration agencies and the research group Mixed Migration Centre estimates that land routes in Africa are twice as deadly as sea routes across the Mediterranean, which is the deadliest maritime route for migrants in the world.

Mr. Meloni also commented on the energy crisis in Europe and said that Europe and Africa should strengthen their cooperation in this sector.

“We are facing many crises, but in every crisis there is also an opportunity,” Meloni said.

"Today, Europe is facing a problem of energy sources. Africa is... Africa is North Africa, but all of Africa is potentially a huge producer of energy for itself, but also for export," she added.

Other participants in the forum include the Prime Ministers of Malta and Tunisia, as well as European Commissioner Margaritis Schinas.

The forum is being hosted by Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who heads the Tripoli-based government.