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Ambassador Alberto Colella believes that the Police Immigration Unit (PU) should understand that they had to present negative corona tests when they landed in Rome.
The Italian government did not make any demands in this regard, says PU, who last week led a case at NRK. It is the comments of the police in this case that make the ambassador react.
Ambassador of Italy Alberto Colella.
Photo: Tore Linvollen / NRK
On August 27 this year, PU was to transport six asylum seekers to Italy.
They had chartered a charter plane for 490,000 crowns, but when they landed at Rome airport, they were told to turn around.
– At a time of a severe pandemic, it is natural for the Italian government to require a negative corona test. In this situation, there was no other option but to send them back to Norway, says the ambassador to NRK.
PU: You faced several challenges
All those who are to be transported must have a health certificate, which the police fill out.
– Our social workers understood from the Italian authorities, before departure, that it was sufficient. But it turned out not to be, PU manager Arne Jørgen Olafsen told NRK.
Olafsen also said that PU faced several other challenges with the Italian authorities in relation to the export.
– It is a public holiday, there is a language problem and there is little staffing. It’s like everything, Olafsen tells NRK.
Since Italy was closed for the summer in the period of August 6-24, it was planned to leave on August 27. It was the deadline for the return, so PU had to rent charter flights. Initially, the plan was to travel on a scheduled plane with a stopover in Copenhagen, but the corona pandemic created challenges.
Arne Jørgen Olafsen is the head of the Police Immigration Unit (PU).
Photo: SIMON SOLHEIM / NRK
An NRK police report has had access to the states:
When the government defined Copenhagen as a “red zone”, Italy refused to accept a new route through Frankfurt. This route would have reached Rome at 15.50, but for returns from Dublin, Italy it requires arriving before 14.00. »
The ambassador: will not affect the relationship
Ambassador Alberto Colella tells NRK that he “was surprised and a little disappointed by the comments in the case.”
– We are in the midst of the worst health crisis in the last hundred years. In the history of Europe, there has not been a more critical situation since the First World War. An overt caution, when transporting someone from one country to another, is a corona test, he says.
He adds:
– I am really surprised that the Norwegian government has not even thought about it.
– How will this affect relations between countries?
– Nothing, because Italy and Norway are two very friendly countries. We have fantastic bilateral relations at all levels, both economically, politically and socially. This is a small accident that can happen, he responds.
PU took self-criticism
The police immigration unit does not wish to comment further on the case and refers to the answers they have already given.
PU manager Arne Jørgen Olafsen told NRK that they tried to get a response from Italy if they demanded a covid 19 test, but did not get a response.
– Of course, in light of hindsight it can be said that we should have understood it and performed a test for safety reasons. We comply with the health information requirements that are in accordance with the Dublin Regulation, and they were met, Olafsen said.
The charter plane was grounded in Rome for several hours and work was done on several levels to find a solution. The ambassador himself was involved. Among other things, it was investigated whether they could conduct a covid 19 test in the city, according to a police report that NRK had access to:
“The leader of the escort suggested to the Italian authorities that we could take the family to a doctor, do a test and pay for a hotel pending the result. We were not accepted for this. The family was not allowed to leave the plane.” .
