PRESS RELEASE : Foreign Secretary to build on progress in tackling illegal migration as he meets Western Balkans leaders in Albania [October 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 16 October 2023.

UK to highlight the growing UK-Albania partnership which has helped to decrease small boats crossings by Albanian nationals by 90% on last year.

• UK to highlight the growing UK-Albania partnership which has helped to drive down small boats crossings by Albanian nationals by 90% on last year
• trip will also underline the UK’s commitment to protecting stability in the Western Balkans during Summit of regional leaders
• Foreign Secretary to set out UK’s unique offer to the region as a key partner in upholding its prosperity and security

The Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, will attend a Summit of Western Balkan and European leaders today in Albania (16 October) to urge them to preserve peace and stability amidst a growing number of tensions across the region.

Cleverly will look to build on the success of the UK’s partnership with Albania and seek increased cooperation across the Western Balkans region to tackle the drivers of illegal migration.

Close collaboration between the 2 countries has seen Channel crossings by Albanian nationals fall by 90% since the signing of the Joint Communiqué in December and a significant increase in the return of illegal migrants to Albania.

His attendance at the annual Berlin Process Summit in Tirana follows the deployment of 600 UK troops in Kosovo to bolster NATO’s peacekeeping mission in response to a build-up of military along the Serbia-Kosovo border and violent attacks against Kosovan police.

Ahead of his visit, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The UK is committed to working with the Western Balkans to tackle gangs who exploit lives for profit, as well as addressing the wider security challenges across the region.

Our partnership with Albania is doing just that. Through increased law enforcement cooperation, we have driven down small boats arrivals by Albanians by 90% on last year, and are returning those who have no legal right to remain in the UK.

The UK will always be a reliable partner standing side-by-side with the region to promote a prosperous and stable future.

The Foreign Secretary will highlight the UK’s unique role in supporting the region’s prosperity and security, from bolstering resilience against malign activity, interference and cyberattacks, to economic development and working alongside partners to tackle corruption and serious organised crime.

The Foreign Secretary will also use the Summit – attended by senior government representatives from across the Western Balkans and wider Europe – to galvanise international partners to remain steadfast in their solidarity with Israel and its fundamental right to defend itself against Hamas.

While in Tirana, James Cleverly will boost the UK’s ties with Albania. He will build on the Joint Communiqué agreed between Prime Ministers Rishi Sunak and Edi Rama in December 2022. The Communiqué set out new areas of collaboration on law enforcement and returns of those arriving illegally in the UK, as well as strengthening economic development.

At Tirana International Airport, the Foreign Secretary, alongside the Albanian Interior Minister, will formally open the Police Command Centre, which houses the UK-Albania Joint Migration Taskforce responsible for coordinating operational measures and actions to tackle people smugglers and traffickers facilitating illegal migrants from Albania to the UK.

To enhance trading ties between the UK and Albania, the Foreign Secretary will launch the British Chamber of Commerce in the country. The Chamber, which will help grow the economies of both countries, will be launched at an event at the Western Balkans University, a higher education institution that is developing partnerships with British Universities and providing scholarships for those under pressure to migrate from northern Albania.

Background

• the Berlin Process was set-up in 2014 to as a platform to promote high-level cooperation between countries in the Western Balkans
• since the signing of the Joint Communiqué in December 2022, arrivals of Albanian nationals to the UK on small boats has dropped from over 12,000 to under 1,000
• over 3,500 people who had no right to remain in the UK have been returned to Albania in the same period