Albanian Prime Minister Confirms Non-Participation in UK Migration Scheme
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama confirmed that Albania will not participate in the UK’s controversial migration scheme, emphasizing, “we are loyal to our marriage with Italy,” reports 24brussels. This announcement comes amidst ongoing legal challenges to a similar scheme between Albania and Italy, which has faced repeated delays.
Rama expressed that the current situation in the UK regarding migration is alarming, stating, “The fact that today it’s not just imaginable, it’s happening, is not because of Keir Starmer or [Rishi] Sunak doing something outrageous; it’s because of the country being in a very dark place.”
The Albanian leader noted that proposals from UK Labour leader Starmer reflect a concerning shift in British discourse, claiming these views constitute “eighty percent of the things that are said, or are written, or are accepted as a normal part of the discourse in today’s Britain,” which he believes would have been “totally unacceptable, totally ridiculous, totally shameful” before Brexit.
Previously, under the Conservative government, the UK and Albania signed a joint communiqué and established a taskforce aimed at addressing illegal migration, resulting in the return of over 1,000 Albanian nationals from Britain. However, the relationship has been strained due to political rhetoric depicting Albanian asylum seekers as an “invasion” of the UK.
Despite potential collaborations, Rama clarified that Starmer has not made any formal requests for Albania to join the scheme, describing him as a “very decent [and] a delightful person.”
