Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on Sunday for new, more equal relationships between Europe and migrants’ countries of origin and transit as she convened a summit of some 20 nations, EU officials and international organisations aimed at stanching flows of illegal migration. The one-day conference is a Meloni initiative that aims to make Italy a leader in resolving issues affecting Mediterranean nations. Chief among them is migration, as Italy sustains hundreds of new arrivals daily on Europe’s southern border, but also energy as Europe looks to Africa and the Middle East to permanently replace Russian supplies. Meloni told the opening meeting that Western arrogance had likely stood in the way of solutions to the migrant issue. She proposed four main prongs for future co-operation: fighting criminal organisations trafficking migrants, better managing flows of migrants, supporting refugees and helping countries of origin.
