Italy's populist president Giuseppe Conte on Thursday lauded European member states including Malta, France and Luxembourg who said they were "willing" to take a share of 36 migrants rescued off Libya by the Italian navy.
"Malta, France and Luxembourg have already said they can take some of the migrants. I am waiting for Germany, Spain and Portugal to reply, but there is a willingness to help," Conte said.
"I must say that our European friends have been very prompt...so this case can be swiftly resolved," Conte said sidelines of an informal summit of European leaders in the Romanian city of Sibiu.
The case of the 36 migrants saved off Libya early on Thursday by the Cigala Fulgosi Italian navy vessel was "on the agenda" at Thursday's summit, Conte said.
In Tuesday's operation, the Cigala Fulgosi picked up the migrants, among them two women and eight children, from a sinking boat 75 kilometres off the Libyan coast. The migrants were not wearing life-jackets and risked drowning, according to the Italian navy.
Italy's hardline interior minister Matteo Salvini closed the country's ports to rescue vessels in June 2018, sparking several international standoffs involving hundreds of migrants who were stranded at sea for days until other countries agreed to take them.
