Illegal migrants damaging countries across the Mediterranean: Italian PM

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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that illegal flows of migrants are damaging all countries across the Mediterranean.

Maloni was speaking at an international conference in Rome as her country sought to forge a broad alliance of nations to fight human trafficking.

In what has been reported as “softer tone” in contrast to her past hard-line rhetoric, Meloni told the conference that her government was open to taking in more people through legal routes as Europe and Italy needed immigration.

She however added that more needed to be done to prevent migrants trying to make the perilous Mediterranean crossing via unauthorised means.

Last week, the EU and Tunisia, a major departure point for migrants, signed a strategic partnership deal that includes cracking down on human traffickers and tightening borders.