Government on duty, willing to discuss with the United Kingdom about immigrant centers

This statement comes after reports that the United Kingdom is considering Kosovo as one of the possible countries to accommodate migrants who have completed the asylum appeal process in the United Kingdom.

Kosovo Government spokesman Progress Kryeziu, in a statement to Radio Free Europe, stressed that “we want to help the United Kingdom, our friend, our partner and ally, as well as its Labusist government”.

“We believe it is fair to say that we can start discussions on this topic, but all our state institutions must be included and then the decision will depend on their recommendations. Many questions will need answers in advance”, Kryeziu said, following Periscope.

The proposal for establishing return centres is part of a broader strategy of the United Kingdom to address the growing number of migrants arriving on the English island through illegal roads.

According to reports from the British newspaper The Times, these centres would serve to accommodate asylum seekers who have completed the appeals process and are awaiting deportation.

However, the international organisation Human Rights Watch has voiced concern that using Balkan countries as host countries for migrants could violate their rights and create new challenges for host countries.

In a recent statement, the HRW has called for the EU and the United Kingdom to stop using the Balkans as a “maginative for migrants”.

Albania currently houses returns centres for migrants returning from Italy, while the British government has recently discovered a six billion-euro investment package in northern Macedonia.

The EU itself took steps in March to allow member states to process the demands of migrants outside the 27-nation bloc's borders.

While in a similar agreement that had also sparked criticism, in 2022, Kosovo and Denmark agreed to rent 300 prison cells at the Tribute Institution in Gjilan to house foreign prisoners who are expected to be expelled from Denmark following the completion of the sentence.

In exchange, Kosovo will benefit over 200m euros, which will be invested in the Correcting Service and renewable energy projects.

This agreement had sparked reactions from international organisations and civil society, which have voiced concerns about the possibility of human rights violations and challenges that could bring management of foreign prisoners in Kosovo.

The Kosovar Centre for the rehabilitation of Torture Survivors (QKRMT) has voiced concerns about the impact this agreement may have on the rights of prisoners in Kosovo.

Earlier, Kosovo had also sheltered about 1,900 Afghan nationals, who were evacuated from Afghanistan after the return of the ruling Taliban in 2021.

After two years of operation, Camp “Liya” at the US military base Bondsteel in Ferizaj was closed. According to the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs, most Afghans had already moved to host countries, while a small number still remain in Kosovo.

Under the agreement between Kosovo and the United States, Afghans would stay in Kosovo until they pass the verification process to move to the US, or to some other Western country. /REL/