Minister for Foreign Affairs Emma Bonino met today in Rome with Ambassador William L. Swing, Director General of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Their discussions consisted of an exchange of information on matters regarding the management of international migration flows, in light of recent dynamics and of the tragedy at Lampedusa.
The head of Italian diplomacy took the opportunity to assure Ambassador Swing of Italy’s support for the consolidation and bolstering of the IOM, the only international point of reference at global level in the migration sector.
Minister Bonino also assured the government’s support for the IOM’s efforts on behalf of migrants, in the countries where they land as well as in the countries of origin and transit. The IOM has been working in Lampedusa since 2006 within the framework of the Praesidium Project – financed by the Interior Ministry – which provides a fixed presidium in Sicily, Puglia and Calabria for the reception and orientation of mixed migrant flows.