They may have different, and even antagonistic, political sensitivities, but they share the same problem as countries of first entry to the southern border of the European Union: the enormous pressure of irregular migration.
A humanitarian, social, political and economic drama, with special incidence now in the eastern Mediterranean, given the drastic reduction in migratory flows on the Atlantic route from Morocco to Spain. Before the Spanish presidency of the community club, which begins next July 1, Pedro Sánchez started yesterday in Nicosia with the president of Cyprus, the conservative, a mini-Mediterranean tour that in the afternoon took him to Valletta with the first Minister of Malta, the progressive Robert Abela, and which will culminate this Wednesday in Rome with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, leader of the post-fascist formation Germans of Italy, in the first bilateral meeting between the two.
Among the objectives of the Spanish president is to make progress during his European semester in the difficult EU migration and asylum pact. And that is why he is advocating to break the dynamic of blocs between the north and the south. It may be an impossible mission, but Sánchez is willing to try to fit all the pieces of this complex puzzle.
“We need to make progress in the European pact on migration and asylum, both on its external side, increasing our collaboration with the countries of origin and transit, and internally, ensuring the balance between responsibility and solidarity” , defended Sánchez in his first stage of the day, in Nicosia. “We are determined to address this phenomenon for the benefit of all European countries, building bridges with a view to establishing pacts and avoiding establishing a policy of blocs”, he assured. And he claimed that the Mediterranean is “a sea of ​​peace, stability and prosperity”.
Among its priorities is to achieve an inclusive agreement, which satisfies both the countries of first arrival and those of final destination, which is in solidarity with the states that are on the border of the EU and which, at the same time, puts the humanitarian aspects at the forefront for the reception of migrants and promote cooperation programs with the countries of origin and transit of irregular migration.
But the Cypriot president also called on Sánchez to mediate with Turkey to advance a resolution of the territorial conflict that divides the island. And Sánchez showed support to find “a dialogical and definitive solution to the Cypriot issue”.
