Rome, Dec 1 (IANS/AKI): Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano on Thursday urged other countries to "get to work" instead of criticising Italy's handling of the Mediterranean migrant crisis - a problem he said must be a shared responsibility.

"To those who lecture us from afar, I say, get to work, like we have. Be brave and give assistance in a concrete way," Alfano said at the third Mediterranean Dialogues Forum taking place in Rome from Thursday to Saturday, which is being attended by 45 heads of state and government.

"It is unthinkable that Italy must manage the entire Mediterranean route single-handed," Alfano said.

"We have saved hundreds of thousands of lives while keeping Italy safe and proving that security is compatible with solidarity."

Alfano also an announced the signature of an agreement for a Mediterranean Erasmus Programme "to bring our peoples and countries closer together".

"The agreement will foster a Grand Mediterranean Erasmus Programme that Italy will support with scholarships and greater mobility between universities," he said.

The programme will be modelled on the Erasmum programme created for European university students, he said.

"It's the right path to create a Mediterranean identity to bring our people and countries closer together," Alfano stated.