Italy, Greece boost cooperation on migration

Italy and Greece met on Monday for an intergovernmental meeting on “combating migration.”

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis described the summit as “significant and decisive” rather than a “routine” diplomatic meeting during a joint press conference.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also stated that the two countries, which share a similar “geostrategic perspective” in the Mediterranean, are in close cooperation, particularly on important issues such as defense and migration.

Mitsotakis argued that after years of pushing for changes in EU migration policy, the Greek government had found the “right partner” in the Meloni government to address this issue with the “right approach.”

Meloni emphasized that their goal is to consolidate a new EU approach to migration management and noted that the focus has shifted in recent years from “internal redistribution” to “securing external borders, expulsions, and cooperation with countries of origin and transit.”

Meloni asserted that Italy and Greece bear the “burden of being primary arrival countries” but added that both are now part of the solution, not the problem.

At the joint press conference with Meloni, Mitsotakis also announced the signing of two important agreements concerning the electricity interconnector with Italy and railway infrastructure.

Mitsotakis stated that the number of agreements signed indicated the need for the Greece-Italy High-Level Cooperation Council to convene more frequently.

The Greek leader described the railway agreement signed between the two countries as a resumption of bilateral cooperation in this sector.

“Greece is investing over 400 million euros in the railway network, while Italy will contribute 360 million euros for the purchase of new trains and the construction of new depots,” Mitsotakis said.

The Mitsotakis government had become the focus of public anger following the tragic train accident in Tempe.

Regarding energy, Mitsotakis emphasized the goal of tripling the electricity interconnection capacity between the two countries and stated that Greece is an electricity exporting country.

He added that the Italian electricity grid operator Terna and its Greek counterpart IPTO had been instructed to advance the project, which is expected to cost 1.9 billion euros, stating, “The instruction we gave to Terna and IPTO is to advance the project as soon as possible.”

The two companies later signed an agreement valued at approximately 2 billion euros for a new submarine electricity connection between Italy and Greece.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, Mitsotakis stated that Athens and Rome are fully aligned in their determination to achieve an unconditional 30-day ceasefire as soon as possible with the support of all European countries.

Meloni described the agreement as a “strategic boost” to bilateral cooperation and noted a strong alignment between the two countries on defense and migration.

“Our relations are excellent. Without the two countries, Europe would not be in this situation today. We are both EU and NATO members and sit side-by-side in the European Council. Next year, we will take over the EU Presidency from each other,” Meloni said.

Meloni stated that defense cooperation and combating irregular migration would be priority issues and added, “There is strong common ground with the Greek Prime Minister in these areas.”

“We aim to continue working with Kyriakos to reshape Europe’s overall approach. We have managed to shift our focus to protecting external borders, targeting human traffickers, and strengthening cooperation with transit countries.”

Reiterating support for a “just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Meloni expressed hope that Russia would respond positively to calls for an unconditional ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.

Regarding Gaza, Meloni called for immediate humanitarian assistance and supported efforts led by Arab countries to create a broader security framework. She also confirmed that both countries support the Western Balkans moving towards EU membership.

Concerning economic cooperation, she highlighted the importance of the Blue Med and Green Med initiatives, which aim to more than double the energy connection between the two countries, as well as joint efforts in the fiber optic sector.