Two different Balkan nations seen as potential locations for UK migrant returns say they haven’t been requested by the UK.
Sir Keir Starmer revealed on Thursday at a information convention with the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama that the UK “is in talks with a number of countries about return hubs”.
However the president of Kosovo and prime minister of North Macedonia – each within the western Balkans, a key migration route from Asia and Africa – informed Sky Information that they had not been requested.
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Vjosa Osmani, the president of Kosovo, mentioned: “There’s been no formal talks with the UK on this problem. It hasn’t been raised to this point.
“We would be open to discussing it, however I can’t say more than that because I don’t know the details. I cannot give an answer on a request that hasn’t been made so far.”
Ms Osmani known as the UK a “steadfast ally”. UK-supplied expertise is being utilized in Kosovo to cease illicit items and weak individuals from reaching British shores.
The prime minister of North Macedonia, Hristijan Mickoski, mentioned: “I’m not informed about this. We should talk with the United Kingdom prime minister later today.”
Requested if formal talks had begun, he mentioned: “No, not yet.”
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Near 22,000 individuals used the Western Balkans to enter Europe final yr, the Overseas Workplace mentioned earlier this yr.
There are stories the UK is in talks with as many as 9 nations.
There are six nations within the Western Balkans, that are seen as central to UK efforts to tackling unlawful migration. Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro are the others, alongside Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia.
David Lammy, the international secretary, visited Kosovo final month and on the identical journey, he signed an settlement with Serbia to crack down on smuggling gangs.
Kosovo, one among Europe’s poorest nations, has agreed a cope with Denmark to take 300 of its international prisoners to serve out their sentences earlier than deportation – in return for 200 million euros. The deal, struck in 2021, will not be up and working but.
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On Thursday, the Albanian prime minister publicly slapped down the concept of a UK returns hub in his nation, saying their settlement with Italy was a “one-off” deal for Rome – their key ally.
Mr Rama voiced his displeasure with how Albanians had been “stigmatised” within the UK.
Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow dwelling secretary, has accused the UK’s prime minister of being “panic mode” over small boat crossings this yr – and restated his stance that the Rwanda deportation scheme must be revived.
Sir Keir later met Mr Mickoski for a one-to-one chat on the summit. Return hubs weren’t talked about within the readout of their dialog.
A Downing Avenue spokeswoman mentioned the nations had “signalled an intent to work more closely on shared challenges, including economic growth, trade, defence and security”.
“The leaders also discussed North Macedonia’s recent agreement to join the Joint Migration Taskforce, further boosting regional cooperation to prevent irregular migrants transiting the Balkans and disrupting the criminal gangs that facilitate them.”
