By Yusuf Hatip
BRUSSELS (AA) – Five EU countries have agreed to split the responsibility for 141 migrants on a rescue ship just allowed to dock in Malta, the EU Commission spokeswoman said on Tuesday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Tove Ernst said that France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, and Luxembourg have agreed split the migrants from the rescue ship Aquarius among themselves.
According to SOS Mediterranee, a migrant rescue NGO, 141 irregular migrants were rescued in the central Mediterranean last Friday and brought on board the rescue ship.
Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, expressed gratitude to the Maltese government for allowing the Aquarius to dock.
Avramopoulos said that the EU needs to find a long-term solution to the migration issue.
“We need sustainable solutions, we can’t just rely on provisional arrangements, it’s the responsibility of the EU as a whole, not just the responsibility of one or some member states, ” he said.
