- Italy to allow visa-free entry for Pakistani diplomats: minister.
- Naqvi updates Italy on intensified anti-smuggling actions.
- Pakistan, Greece agree on joint action against illegal immigration.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has said that 10,500 work visas will be issued for Pakistan’s skilled labour force to promote legal migration.
The Italian interior minister made the announcement during a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi in Rome.
Piantedosi also confirmed that Italian authorities would extend visa-free entry to Pakistani diplomatic passport holders, following a request from Naqvi and earlier exchanges on the subject.
Naqvi briefed his counterpart on Pakistan’s intensified actions against illegal immigration networks, noting that enhanced monitoring at airports and maritime borders had produced a significant drop in unlawful departures.
The Italian minister praised Pakistan’s recent measures and commended the performance of Pakistani institutions in combating human smuggling, drug trafficking, and irregular migration.
Both sides reaffirmed their resolve to deepen cooperation in security, counter-narcotics, and law enforcement, agreeing to strengthen coordination against transnational criminal networks and further broaden opportunities for legal migration.
The meeting, described as constructive and forward-looking, underscored both countries’ commitment to curbing illegal immigration while expanding avenues for legal mobility.
‘Joint action against illegal immigration’
Separately, the interior minister held an important meeting with Greece’s Minister for Migration and Asylum Athanasios Plevris, during which both sides agreed on enhanced cooperation against illegal immigration and human smuggling.
During the meeting, the two ministers decided to undertake joint measures to curb unlawful migration networks and strengthen coordination between relevant institutions.
A significant breakthrough came as Pakistan and Greece agreed to finalise the long-pending bilateral migration cooperation agreement, which has been awaiting completion for two years.
It was also decided to constitute a Joint Working Group to operationalise future cooperation frameworks.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi welcomed Greece’s support in enhancing the professional capacity of police and paramilitary forces, especially in technology-based operations, stressing that expanding legal migration pathways is essential to counter illegal routes.
He reiterated that Pakistan has adopted a zero-tolerance policy against illegal immigration and human smuggling.
The Greek minister reaffirmed his country’s readiness to collaborate with Pakistan at all levels for promoting legal migration.
