ROME, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- If the European Union (EU) wants to scrap its Sophia naval mission, that's fine with Italy, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini told a televised press conference here on Wednesday.
His comments came after German news agency dpa reported Tuesday that Germany is suspending participation in Sophia, the EU naval deployment to counter human trafficking across the Mediterranean, citing Italy's hardline policy against humanitarian vessels that rescue migrants at sea.
"Sophia naval mission's reason for being is that all rescued immigrants are to be taken ONLY to Italy," Salvini tweeted earlier in the day. "Either the rules change, or the mission is over."
The EU launched Sophia, whose official name is European Naval Force Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED) in 2015 to combat migrant smuggling and oil trafficking in the Mediterranean.
The mission, which is currently under Italian command, was nicknamed Operation Sophia after a baby born aboard a German vessel to a Somali woman, who was rescued at sea along with 453 other migrants and taken to Italy that year.
Salvini said Italy has been asking its EU partners to change the mission rules "for the past six months", and has been met with refusal.
"The mission is only international on paper, because it calls for all rescued migrants to disembark in Italy," Salvini said. "Now, if someone wants to abandon the mission in the belief that this could damage Italy or the Italian people, it is absolutely not a problem for us."
Between July 2015 and December 2018, the Sophia mission brought 43,327 migrants to Italy, or 100 percent of all those rescued, Salvini noted.
"What is the Italian national interest in paying for a mission whose sole port of arrival for all rescuees, no matter where they were rescued, is Italy?" said Salvini, who also serves as deputy prime minister and leads the rightwing League party.
As of Jan. 1, Italy was hosting 133,000 applicants for political asylum in its migrant reception centers, against 183,000 in the same period last year, Salvini said.
"This is in order to increase protection for those fleeing from war, who don't deserve to be confused with those who seek to bring war to Italy," said Salvini, whose League party is currently polling at number one in Italy with around 30 percent of consensus.
