Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano | Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images Italian foreign minister: We’ve been abandoned by Europe on refugee crisis ‘We cannot cope with this burden alone,’ Angelino Alfano said.

Rome can't cope with the migration crisis alone but has been abandoned by Europe, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said in an interview with Bild published Sunday.

Asked whether he felt Italy had been abandoned by other European countries, Alfano said: "A very clear yes," pointing to the failure of EU governments to agree on a new burden-sharing mechanism proposed by the European Commission last year.

"Italy is contributing, but we cannot cope with this burden alone," he said, before acknowledging "the only solution" to ensuring fewer migrants reach Italy "is in Libya."

Alfano refused to criticize German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose 2015 open-door policy towards refugees (since abandoned), led to a sharp increase in asylum seekers traveling to Europe.

Merkel "was on the right side of the story in 2015, she showed leadership, with strength and courage. That was impressive," Alfano said, noting that most of those trying to enter the EU now are from African countries rather than the Middle East.

In recent months, Austria, which goes to the polls in October, has threatened to send troops to its border with Italy in a bid to stop migrants crossing. Alfano dismissed this, saying:"This is pure election campaigning, which we do not take seriously."

"A year ago they had already spoken of a wall in Austria. But the truth is: There is no problem at all. Our borders are clearly sealed. It is impossible for the migrants to travel to other countries. We'll take care of that," he added.

In recent days, several NGOs operating search-and-rescue missions in the Mediterranean have suspended their operations due to what they describe as intolerable conditions imposed by the Italian government after allegations surfaced that some NGOs were working with traffickers to pick up migrants. The NGOs also cited restrictions imposed on them by the Libyan government, which last week banned them from operating off the coast under pressure from European governments.