The European Union must commit to
governing migratory movements, President Sergio Mattarella said
Friday on the 10th anniversary of a migrant disaster that killed
over 700 people in the Strait of Sicily on April 18, 2015, the
largest single loss of life in the Mediterranean for decades.
"Migratory movements must be governed and the European Union
must express its maximum commitment in this sense," said the
Italian head of State.
"The necessary fight against illegality, the fight against
crime, are nourished by the preparation of legal immigration
channels and methods that, with coherence, express respect for
human life".
Mattarella added that it was Italian "civilization" that
prevented Italians from turning their backs to such tragedies.
"The Italian Republic remembers those many women and men, many
destined to remain nameless.
"It is our civilization that prevents us from turning our backs,
from remaining indifferent, from losing that feeling of humanity
that is the root of our values."
Mattarella also thanked those who rescue persons at sea.
"In remembering, we renew our appreciation for the rescue work
by the Italian ships that managed, in extreme conditions, to
save lives, respecting what the law of the sea requires."
Only 28 people survived the Strait of Sicily disaster 10 years
ago.
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