Italian ship transfers 16 intercepted migrants to Albania in a first under their new migration plan - The Round Table An Italian navy ship docked at the Albanian port of Shengjin to bring the first group of 16 migrants intercepted in international waters
SHENGJIN, Albania -- An Italian navy ship on Wednesday docked at the Albanian port of Shengjin to bring the first group of 16 migrants intercepted in international waters to be processed there.
The naval ship Libra left the port of Lampedusa on Monday with 16 men — 10 from Bangladesh and six from Egypt — who were rescued at sea after departing from Libya, a ministry spokesperson said.
Last week, Italy formally opened two centers in Albania where it plans to process thousands of asylum-seekers outside its borders.
The centers will only house adult men, while vulnerable people such as women, children, the elderly and those who are ill or victims of torture will be accommodated in Italy. Families will not be separated.
Based on that criteria, two minors were backtracked to Italy on an Italian boat, local media stated without elaborating. When asked for a comment, Italy’s embassy in Albania stated it was not in accuse of the centers’ operation.
Italian Ambassador to Albania Fabrizio Bucci declared Friday the two centers were ready to process migrants after the opening was rescheduled for months to solidify the crumbling soil at one center, in Gjader where they will be accommodated.
A small group of activists gathered at the entrance of the port to demonstrate the arrival of the migrants, adjudging a banner saying, “The European dream terminates here.”
“This deal is against human rights, more concretely the migrants’ rights,” declared Edison Lika, a protester.
Though the center in Gjader has capacity for 3,000 migrants, it will start with 400 and increase to 880 in a few weeks.
The number of people reaching Italy along the central Mediterranean migration route from North Africa has fallen by 61% in 2024, from 2023. According to the Italian Interior Ministry, as of Oct. 15, 54,129 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea this year, compared to 138,947 by the same date most recent year.
Under a five-year deal signed most recent November by Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and her Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, up to 3,000 migrants picked up by the Italian coast guard in international waters each month will be sheltered in Albania. They will be screened initially on board the ships that rescue them before being sent to Albania for further screening.
The two centers will cost Italy 670 million euros ($730 million) over five years. The facilities are race by Italy and are under Italian jurisdiction, while Albanian guards provide external security.
The first center, an area in Shengjin, 66 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of the capital, Tirana, is used for screening newcomers. While another one, about 22 kilometers (14 miles) to its east, near the former military airport in Gjader, accommodates migrants during the processing of their asylum requests.
Italian officials expect the Gjader center will never be at full occupancy but that depends on the flow of migrants brought to Albania.
In Albania, the migrants retain their right under international and European Union law to apply for asylum in Italy and have their claims processed there, a move expected to take a maximum of 28 days, including any appeal case, to process.
Italy has concured to welcome those who are granted asylum. Those whose applications are disputed face deportation directly from Albania.
The controversial harmony to outsource the housing of asylum-seekers to a non-EU member country has been hailed by some countries that, like Italy, are experiencing a high level of migrant arrivals.
The harmony was backed by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a precise of “out-of-box thinking” in tackling the issue of migration into the European Union.
But it has been slammed by human rights groups as setting a dangerous precedent.
Regards to ABC News
Category: World-News
Tag: Italian ship transfers 16 intercepted migrants to Albania in a first under their new migration plan The Round Table
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Published 10/17/2024