Kovacevic: The West wants to shift the refugee problem to Western Balkan and North African countries

Lawyer Nikola Kovacevic believes that migrants who will be accommodated in camps in Albania do not pose a security risk to that country and its population, but he expects Western countries to increasingly work on shifting the refugee problem to the countries of the Western Balkans and North Africa.

Italy and Albania, it is worth noting, have signed an agreement for the construction of two reception centers on Albanian territory under Italian jurisdiction. Opposition in both countries opposes this agreement.

"There is no security threat to Albania and the Albanian population, and that is complete nonsense. It is not a settlement; it is a complete misrepresentation of the issue, forcibly placing people where they do not want to be. The agreement envisages redirecting boats carrying refugees from the Italian coast to Albania, where migrants will then be deprived of their freedom," Kovacevic says.

He adds that the Albanian population and opposition should protest, but not because of the security risks that camps bring.

"I agree that both the Albanian opposition and the Albanian population should protest against this, not because people who pose a security risk are being brought to their territory, but because these people are arbitrarily and contrary to international law being detained, as stated by the Council of Europe. These are different categories of people in motion, including refugees, economic migrants, and asylum seekers. It is not excluded that in each wave there are individuals of security interest, but the problem is that it is not the responsibility of Albania. In general, both Italy and, as we hear from Scholz, Germany, and I fear many other European countries that have mentioned such things, have too much inclination to shift the problem of the treatment of refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants onto countries like Albania," our interlocutor notes.

He says that there is probably talk of locating them in the Western Balkans and North Africa.

"I am convinced that behind closed doors, there are discussions about Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Africa. Yesterday's judgment by the Supreme Court of England showed that the practice the British wanted to implement in relation to Rwanda is not legally sustainable. I sincerely hope that if this plan we have talked about is put into action, some lawyers will be able to challenge it and fight for something that is legal, legitimate, and in line with the European Convention on Human Rights," Kovacevic emphasized.