Germany has issued a response to comments made by billionaire Elon Musk regarding the country's migration debate. Musk took to his social media platform, "X," to share a post critical of

German NGO operations in the Mediterranean, accusing them of "unloading illegal immigrants" in Italy. The post also expressed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in upcoming elections.

Musk, who owns the social media platform, shared the post with his 158 million followers, asking, "Is the German public aware of this?" In response, the German Foreign Office posted on "X," stating, "Yes. And it's called saving lives."

Musk continued his criticism, expressing doubt that a majority of the German public supports the current situation.

These comments from Musk come as Germany finds itself embroiled in a dispute with Italy over NGO sea operations. Germany's Interior Ministry recently announced a postponement of its intake of migrants arriving via Italy under a European voluntary solidarity plan.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking at the MED9 summit in Malta, cautioned against countries unloading the migration issue onto others, emphasizing the importance of addressing the root causes of irregular migration.

The MED-9, which includes France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, and Slovenia, released a joint statement calling for short and medium-term solutions to address the challenge of increasing arrivals through Mediterranean routes. They called on the European Union to take effective measures to reduce primary movements, improve the rate of returns for failed asylum seekers, and address the root causes of irregular migration.

The Mediterranean continues to be a perilous route for tens of thousands of migrants seeking safety and economic opportunities, leading to disputes between countries over rescue and responsibility. Photo by Tesla Owners Club Belgium, Wikimedia commons.