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AzerNEWS Staff

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Italy does not accept Spain's "ultimatum" on border checks as it insisted that the suspension of Schengen arrangements won't be revised before Aug. 15, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said Friday amid a row over the Ceuta migration crisis, AzerNEWS reports, citing Anadolu Agency.

Italy will not comply with the Aug. 9 deadline the Spanish government has set for it to end the selective border checks it has been conducting on people arriving via air and sea from Spain, ANSA news agency reported, citing Meloni's office.

"Italy does not accept ultimatums or impositions from abroad about national security and border control," the statement said.

It added: "We have no intention of reconsidering the decision to suspend the application of the Schengen Agreement for third-country nationals arriving from Spain, at least until Aug. 15, and, in any case, until security and terrorism risks for Italy have been completely eliminated."

Rome suspended its Schengen arrangements with Spain following the arrival of thousands of migrants in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta last week.

In response, the Spanish government announced late Friday that Madrid will begin carrying out random identity checks on travelers arriving from Italy on Saturday.

According to the Spanish government, checks at airports and ports would remain in place until Sept. 7.

Spanish authorities have said the Ceuta crisis does not threaten the Schengen area and stressed that around 70,000 of the migrants who entered Ceuta last week have since returned to Morocco.