TIRANA, Nov. 6, 2023 – In a surprise move at a Monday press conference in Rome, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have announced a bilateral agreement under which non-European asylum seekers that aim to reach the EU through Italy will be shipped to processing camps in Albania instead.
Albania’s third largest port at Shen Gjin and the nearby Gjadri decommissioned military base are to serve as host to up to 36,000 refugees at any time, and Italy will pay for the program, according to details made available to the media. The first refugees would arrive by spring of 2024.
Prime Minister Rama said the agreement was in gratitude to Italy for the support and assistance provided during the 1990s.
“From the beginning, we would not have made this agreement with any other EU country because there is a significant historical, cultural, and emotional difference that connects Albania with Italy and Albanians with Italians,” said Rama, adding Albania is prepared to repay the debt it owes to Italy and the Italian people for the help provided over the years.
Albania is also ready to continue offering shelter and assistance to refugees, as it did in the recent case of Afghan refugees, he added
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who was elected as anti-immigration far right politician, has built an unusually close relationship with her Socialist counterpart in Albania. She visited Albania and Rama in the summer, a visit that likely served as the genesis of the deal.
The agreement comes at a time of crisis in Italy with massive numbers of refugees from Africa and Middle East washing up on its shores. After failing to convince Tunisia to host the refugees, she turned to Albania instead, according to the Italian press.
The move could be positive for Albania’s bid to join the EU, some analysts note, as the country has been held in candidate status for more than a decade. Others say it could make things even worse for Albania’s EU hopes.
“Albania continues to be a friend of Italy and Europe,” Meloni said.
The agreement applies to immigrants rescued in the Mediterranean by Italian navy vessels, such as the Marina Militare and the Guardia di Finanza, but not to those rescued by NGOs.
Italy will handle the disembarkation and identification procedures at the Shengjin port and establish a primary reception and screening center.
In Gjader, in the northwest of Albania, Italy will establish a facility for further processing. Both repatriation centers will fall under Italian jurisdiction. Albania will cooperate in external monitoring of the facilities. The agreement does not apply to minors, pregnant women, and vulnerable individuals, according to details made public by Italian media.
The idea of “exporting” irregular migrants to third countries has been mulled for a while in the EU and beyond, most recently featured in the UK’s operation to transfer people to facilities in Rwanda and in Australia’s rigid hosting of refugees in the isolated Pacific island of Nauru.
-Angry reaction by the Albanian opposition-
There has been a swift and angry reaction by Albania’s opposition against the deal.
“Without parliamentary discussion, political consensus, any analysis, and public transparency, without providing any details of the signed agreement, without asking anyone, one year after Tunisia rejected the same offer from Italy, Edi Rama is now turning Albania into the largest camp for illegal refugees in Europe,” said Belind Kellici of the Democratic Party. “This is a betrayal of Albania and the greatest disloyalty Rama could do to our country.”
Endrit Brahimllari of Albania’s Freedom Party said the deal helps “Rama’s autocracy and impunity continue” while hurting Albania.
“Rama drove the Albanians out of the country, but now it is paving the way for illegal immigrant camps,” Brahimllari said. “No information for the citizens, but it operates in complete secrecy, turning the country into a center for illegal immigrants in Europe.”
Albanian right-wing activists were meanwhile calling for public protests against the deal on social media.
-Deal criticized for lack of transparency-
Lutfi Dervishi, an independent analyst, noted that the issue of irregular migration — a headache for Western governments – is now poised to present an even greater challenge to the Albanian government, as the country grapples with the reverse phenomenon: the emigration of Albanians.
“As the Albanian people eagerly anticipated a mysterious visit to Rome, holding onto the last glimmers of hope for a promised pensions agreement, they must now find solace in the fact that Albania is taking responsibility as if it were an EU member state,” Dervishi noted. “In a place already burdened by Afghan refugees still residing in Shen Gjin and the issues with the [Iranian MEK] mujahadeen in Mzez, we now have to address the waves of African and Asian migrants making their way to Italy.”
He adds that the inflow could be 36,000 individuals in a single month.
“This grand gesture is being portrayed as a unique honor bestowed upon Albania. Under normal circumstances and in the interest of transparency, it would be the Italian Prime Minister who should visit Tirana and sign an agreement after the Albanian Prime Minister had informed the Parliament or the public about the decision to address these migration flows,” Dervishi added. “Albania indeed owes Italy a substantial debt, particularly in the aftermath of the ’90s, but that does not imply that we should unconditionally extend our hand beyond our own capabilities.”
