Albania's Top Court Approves Asylum Deal With Italy: Statement

Albania's Constitutional Court on Monday ruled in favour of a controversial deal signed with Italy to open two holding centres for migrants rescued in Italian waters

Tirana, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jan, 2024) Albania's Constitutional Court on Monday ruled in favour of a controversial deal signed with Italy to open two holding centres for migrants rescued in Italian waters.

The agreement has been condemned by opposition parties in both countries, as well as rights groups, resulting in a legal challenge taken up by the top court in Tirana.

"The agreement does not harm Albania's territorial integrity," the court said in a statement that backed the deal.

The ruling by the court comes just days after Italian MPs voted in favour of the deal -- with the lower chamber of parliament backing the protocol by 155 votes to 115, along with two abstentions.

The text now goes to the Senate, where it is also expected to be approved.

The deal allows for two centres to be established near the Albanian port of Shengjin, where migrants would register for asylum, as well as a facility in the same region to house those awaiting a response to their applications.

The two centres -- to be managed by Italy -- would accommodate up to 3,000 migrants per month, according to official estimates.

The Albanian right-wing opposition has lambasted Prime Minister Edi Rama over an alleged lack of transparency over the agreement, calling the deal an "irresponsible and dangerous act for national security".

The International Rescue Committee NGO has condemned the agreement as "dehumanising", while Amnesty International described it as "illegal and unenforceable".

Albanian authorities have said the agreement is in line with previous treaties signed with Italy, with international laws on asylum seekers and with the country's constitution.