{"id":737541,"date":"2025-04-24T17:48:12","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T15:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/?p=737541"},"modified":"2025-04-24T17:48:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T15:48:12","slug":"albanian-government-in-secret-talks-to-host-migrants-from-the-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/2025\/04\/24\/albanian-government-in-secret-talks-to-host-migrants-from-the-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"Albanian Government in Secret Talks to Host Migrants from the UK","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

On May 15, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to arrive in Tirana for a 48-hour visit. During his stay, he is reportedly set to advance a previously undisclosed agenda of his government: the establishment of another migrant asylum center in Albania, similar to the one being developed by Italy in Gjad\u00ebr.<\/span><\/p>\n

A qualified source with access to the UK Home Office informed Hashtag.al<\/strong><\/em> exclusively about this development.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOn May 16, several EU leaders will gather in Tirana for a summit. However, Mr. Starmer\u2019s visit will take place a day earlier, on May 15. While the Albanian Prime Minister will likely frame this visit as historic, Mr. Starmer\u2019s sole priority is to push forward the creation of a new asylum center aimed at relocating migrants\u2014primarily from the Middle East\u2014from the UK to Albania,<\/em>\u201d the source stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is understood that the Albanian and British governments have been exchanging confidential information through unofficial state channels over the past few months regarding the potential implementation of this project.<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, Albania is already hosting a migrant relocation camp in Gjad\u00ebr, part of an agreement with Italy.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, this new initiative follows a previous failed attempt at such a partnership with the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you recall, in July 2021, former UK Home Secretary Priti Patel visited Albania. At the time, the two governments were close to finalizing a similar agreement. The Albanian side insisted that the project remain strictly confidential until the final stage. Working groups were even established to handle the details. However, someone from the former British administration leaked the information to the media, prompting the Albanian government to withdraw,<\/em>\u201d the same source explained.<\/span><\/p>\n

It has also emerged that PM Keir Starmer held a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in September 2024, during which he specifically sought her advice on how best to win over Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama\u2019s support for the plan.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Hashtag.al<\/strong><\/em> asked what the Albanian Prime Minister would gain in exchange for such a concession\u2014given that the UK is not part of the EU\u2014the source responded:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are two types of returns: privileges in the best-case scenario, or simply buying time when in trouble. I fear it is the latter in this case. The Albanian Prime Minister may be seeking to buy time, and the pressure may well be coming from the UK\u2019s influence over Albania\u2019s Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor\u2019s Office (SPAK), which is reportedly holding serious and ready-to-act case files involving Rama\u2019s top generals\u2014and possibly Rama himself,<\/em>\u201d the source claimed.<\/span><\/p>\n

He added: \u201cDon\u2019t be surprised if, at a later stage and under similar pressure, your Prime Minister proposes the construction of camps for Palestinians as well<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hashtag.al<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On May 15, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to arrive in Tirana for a 48-hour visit. During his stay, he is reportedly set to advance a previously undisclosed agenda of his government: the establishment of another migrant asylum center in Albania, similar to the one being developed by Italy in Gjad\u00ebr. A qualified […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":4,"featured_media":737546,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-737541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-super-click"],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=737541"}],"version-history":[{"count":99999,"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737541\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":737548,"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/737541\/revisions\/737548"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/737546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=737541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=737541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hashtag.al\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=737541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}