The Times: This is why Meloni seeks to bring Assad out of his isolation
According to British The Times newspaper’s correspondent in the Belgian capital, Brussels, Bruno Waterfield, the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni calls on Europe to restore its relations with Syrian President Bashar al Assad to solve the irregular immigration crisis and return Syrian refugees to their country, who number about one million.
Meloni plans to visit Lebanon on Friday after the recent EU summit, where she managed to convince some countries of her view on immigration.
The visit is ostensibly to support Italian soldiers in the UN peacekeeping force, but the real goal, according to the writer, is to discuss the refugee crisis with leaders in the region.
The Italian Prime Minister, like other EU countries, has appointed an ambassador to Damascus, seeing this as a crucial step towards her plan to return Syrian refugees.
Meloni’s approach to Syria and her efforts to renew relations with Assad represent a major shift in European policy away from the previous humanitarian approach to dealing with migration issues, reflecting the prime minister’s growing influence on the EU’s migration strategy.
According to the report, there is a renewed sense of urgency in Europe to deal with the refugee crisis in light of the escalation of war in the Middle East, especially after Israel expanded its attacks on Gaza to include Lebanon.
Recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon have displaced more than a million Lebanese, and European leaders fear that regional instability and internal displacement could lead to a larger wave of migration to Europe, the report said.
The report indicated that Meloni urged cooperation with Assad during the summit to ensure the safe and voluntary return of refugees.
The European Union had cut ties with the Syrian president in 2011 after his violent suppression of the Syrian revolution, which displaced 14 million Syrians.
According to the report, Meloni has become an influential figure in the European Union, especially regarding immigration issues, and her tough stance has prompted the European Union to adopt tough steps towards refugees that were previously unimaginable, including the establishment of camps on Europe’s borders to detain irregular migrants.
The Italian prime minister’s position is reinforced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s concerns about the impact of the situation in the Middle East on migration, indicating Meloni’s growing influence and the EU’s growing interest in her proposals.
