Norway accepts 15 refugees from Lifeline, docked in Malta
After a request coming from Malta, the Norwegian Government has decided to offer accommodation for 15 refugees from the privately operated migrant ship Lifeline in Norway. The ship is sailing under Dutch flag, but is supposedly operated by a German refugee organization.
– Given the difficult humanitarian situation and in solidarity with our European partners, Norway will assist Malta. The migration situation requires action at European level, and now we contribute to a common European solution to an urgent challenge, says Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ine Eriksen Søreide (Conservatives), in a press statement.
The 15 people will be counted as part of the annual quota of refugees transferred from other countries as stipulated in the state budget. Norway is one of several European countries that have said yes to re-settle a few of the more than 200 persons on board the ship.
Lifeline was refused to dock in several European ports after the ship picked up migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean on Thursday last week. The situation concerning the vessel has found a solution by Malta’s offer to allow the ship entry as a humanitarian gesture.
© NTB Scanpix / MarineTraffic.com / #Norway Today
