Rama: Neither fence nor refugee camps, our priority stability

Albania is willing to take on its burden of responsibility in a European plan for immigrants.

Prime Minister Edi Rama at a press conference with Montenegrin counterpart Dusko Markovic questioned about the immigrant crisis, said that, “along with Montenegro we were not part of the corridor when the major refugee crisis began. But at every table we had a clear approach. We are willing to take on our burden of responsibility in a European plan. As far as we're concerned objectively. We don't have to be fences or heroes. We had 15 times the flow of a year ago. But as a relative number it is not so that we set the alarm and knock on the doors of Europe”, Prime Minister Rama said.

Rama underlined that Albania is not the country for fences and for rejection shows against those in extreme need and who flee from areas where their lives are threatened.

We've also had offers to get gift fences, but we're immigrant people. We are a people who have a proud history of salvation of Jews who were more numerous in Albania after World War II than before World War II today houses nearly 3 thousand Iranian refugees in Albania. And don't forget that in this small country over 500 thousand war refugees have been sheltered from their homes because of Slobodan Milosevic's ethnic cleansing”, Prime Minister Rama said.

“We are in contact with our friends to ensure that we are not threatened by flows that we cannot afford”, Rama stressed.

While Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic said that, “in terms of immigration, nothing new is happening compared to 2015. The huge migraine bubble has not caught Montenegro. In 2015, Montenegro adopted the operational plan for migrants. Today there are some manipulating political reasons that say we will build refugee camps. That's not gonna happen. The country will be ready for any concrete task”.

Our country had immigrants. We have provided living conditions. Some of them have remained in Montenegro. But it is our duty to offer any kind of help to unfortunate people and support. Solidarity is something that unites even large organisations”, Markovic said.

Montenegro and Albania have a responsible approach, there is no threat on the Albanian side either. We do not foresee the setting of fences, nor the setting of camps, we are sure, stability is the priority of our two governments, and I think that with joint efforts we can ensure sustainable development”, he said, broadcasts at least.

NATO also functions on the principle of solidarity, he said, adding that “is true that we have recorded a larger influx of illegal entry into Montenegro from the Albanian border, but, as you know, Montenegro's and Albania's interior affairs ministries have had a meeting 10 days ago, they have talked about this matter”.

And we will work to make our borders safer, so that our two countries will be safer, so that if there is a huge influx of immigrants to our two countries to ensure our obligations, to maintain stability because stability is something meant for our citizens”, the Montenegrin prime minister concluded.