Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama denied having similar migrant agreements with the UK or other countries like the one with Italy.
During a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Tirana, Rama emphasized that the agreement with Italy is unique due to the special historical relationship and geographic proximity between the two countries.
With a touch of humor, Rama said many other countries have asked Albania for similar agreements, but Albania remains “faithful to its marriage with Italy,” while relations with other countries are just “love affairs.”
“From day one, I was very clear that this process with Italy was a unique agreement, because of our special relationship and the very meaningful geographical situation. To be honest with you, many countries have asked if we were open to something similar, and we said no, because we are loyal to our marriage with Italy, and the rest is just love,” Rama stated.
On his part, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the UK is discussing similar agreements with several countries regarding migrant return centers and described it as a new and important approach.
Starmer also highlighted efforts to return illegal Albanian migrants by tackling criminal networks at the source to make migration routes safer and ease pressure on public services.
“By addressing illegal migration abroad and dismantling gangs at the source, we are making our routes safer and easing the pressure on public services,” Starmer said.
Starmer was the first European leader to arrive in Tirana ahead of tomorrow’s European Union summit.
