The Media and Information Agency published this Tuesday some facts on the protocol between the Government of the Italian Republic and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania for strengthening cooperation in the field of migration, signed yesterday by the Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni , in Rome.
Specifically, Article 3 of this agreement stipulates that Italy uses areas of Albanian territory for the establishment of host structures.
The agreement envisages that Italy erects, entirely at its own expense, the structures for the stay of migrants (Article 4).
Also, the maximum limit will be no more than 3 thousand people sheltered at the same time (Article 4).
Italy bears all expenses for the sheltered migrants including any health care costs and any other anticipated costs that may be incurred by the Albanian side (Article 6).
Also, the agreement stipulates that the maximum period of stay of an immigrant cannot be longer than the time needed for the asylum/protection procedures.
At the end of the procedures, the Italian side carries out the departure of the migrants from Albania at its own expense (Article 9).
In the joint press release in Rome with Prime Minister Meloni, Rama focused on the debt that Albania owes to Italy, the Italian people and institutions for what they have done for Albanians since the first day that the refugees of the 90s arrived in Italy. " If Italy calls, Albania answers ", he said.
While Prime Minister Meloni praised the agreement as enriching the friendship between the two nations in strategic partnership with each other. Meloni added that Albania is not only confirmed as a friend of Italy, but also of the EU. "Even though it is not formally part of the EU, but is a candidate for joining the EU, it behaves, it has an approach as if it is already an EU country," Meloni said.