Meloni says irregular migration remains priority for Italy

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stressed on Thursday that irregular migration remains a priority for the country.

Speaking at the annual press meeting in Rome, which was postponed twice before owing to her illness, Meloni said: "I don't consider the results on migration problem satisfactory especially when I consider the amount of work I have dedicated to this matter.”

However, she added: “I think that if I hadn’t take the steps I took, things would have gone much worse.”

“If you ask me if I am satisfied today, I say no. I will be satisfied at the end of this legislature I will continue to work for this, which is one of my priorities,” said Meloni, who took power in October 2022 as Italy's first woman prime minister.

Italy has seen a sharp rise in the number of migrants arriving on the country’s shores through the Mediterranean route in recent years.

Also touching upon the issue of semi-presidential system she advocates, Meloni argued that direct election of the head of government would bring stability to the country, which experienced short-lasting fragile coalition governments for decades. “It is not about me. It is about the future of the country,” she said.