The European Union is prepared to end its Sofia migrant search and rescue mission in the Mediterranean if Italy wishes, sources close to the bloc's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Wednesday.
"If Italy, which commands the Sofia mission, no longer wants the mission, the EU is ready to close it down," said the sources.
The comments came after Italy's hardline interior minister Matteo Salvini on Wednesday threatened to end the mission unless its current operational rules - which land all migrants and Italian ports - are altered.
A day earlier, Germany said it was suspending its participation in Sofia due to the populist Italian government's ongoing closure of its ports to rescued migrants and its unwillingness to take in any more, according to several local media outlets.
Sophia, which began in 2015, has almost wiped out human trafficking in the Mediterranean, has trained Libya's coastguard and has saved lives, according to the sources close to Mogherini.
"It has been and still is a jewel in the crown of European defence policy," the sources stated.
Currently commanded by Italian Rear Admiral Enrico Credentino, Sophia's core mandate is to help the EU smash migrant smuggling networks.
Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the mission was launched on 22 June 2015.
