MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th November, 2019) EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos welcomed on Monday Italy's decision to allow over 350 migrants on three rescue vessels to disembark at its ports so that they may be redistributed among several EU states.
Earlier in the day, the Italian Interior Ministry authorized docking for the Open Arms and Aita Mari charity boats, which together carried 140 migrants. Over the weekend, another ship, Ocean Viking, dropped off 213 migrants in Italy's Sicily.
"Welcome that the Ocean Viking, Open Arms and Aita Mari vessels will all disembark in Italy, who I commend for its hospitality. I also welcome the European solidarity of France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal for willing to support and relocate. We must continue on this elan," Avramopoulos said on Twitter.
Rescue ships run by various charities operate in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the most popular but also most dangerous routes for irregular migration from the middle East and North Africa to the European continent. People who embark upon the dangerous journey on inflatable rafts often end up in the hands of smugglers and human traffickers or die en route.
