ISLAMABAD (MNN); Pakistan and three European countries — Italy, Spain and Greece — on Thursday agreed to promote legal migration pathways and adopt a coordinated strategy to effectively combat illegal migration, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said.
The consensus was reached at a four-nation conference held in Rome. In a statement posted on social media platform X, Naqvi said the meeting was attended by his counterparts from the three European countries.
According to the interior minister, Pakistan, Italy, Spain and Greece agreed on a joint policy framework and a rapid-response mechanism to counter illegal migration, human smuggling and narcotics trafficking.
He said the participants also reached consensus on promoting regulated legal channels to discourage irregular migration and on repatriating criminals to face legal proceedings in their home countries.
Naqvi noted that European partners appreciated Pakistan’s actions against illegal migration, highlighting a 47 per cent reduction in such cases. He added that the countries agreed to enhance European Union-supported capacity-building initiatives for Pakistan.
A separate statement issued by the interior ministry said Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Greece’s Migration Minister Athanasios Plevris endorsed Pakistan’s proposal to establish legal pathways as an effective means to dismantle human smuggling networks and prevent dangerous irregular journeys.
The ministers agreed to provide full support to Pakistan through European Union mechanisms for strengthening institutional capacity.
The four countries also decided to adopt a coordinated strategy at all levels, finalising a joint policy framework to address illegal migration, human trafficking and drug smuggling.
It was further agreed that individuals involved in serious crimes would be repatriated from Europe to Pakistan to face legal action.
The ministers emphasised closer coordination and the establishment of a joint rapid-response mechanism to tackle illegal migration more effectively. They also decided to hold the next meeting in Pakistan later this year.
According to the statement, Naqvi informed the European ministers that organised networks involved in illegal migration had been brought under the law in Pakistan. He stressed that Europe remained one of the regions most affected by illegal migration and that a coordinated mechanism could help address the challenge.
The European ministers praised Pakistan’s efforts, with the Italian interior minister saying Pakistani institutions had taken commendable steps, while the Spanish minister described the actions taken under Naqvi’s leadership as exemplary.
