UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer begins a two-day visit to Tirana today with the aim of strengthening cooperation on migration issues and expanding successful joint initiatives with Albania to other countries in the region.
The United Kingdom intends to step up efforts to dismantle criminal networks that fuel irregular migration in the Western Balkans.
This visit comes immediately after the British Prime Minister's presentation of the White Paper on Immigration, a comprehensive plan to drastically reduce net migration to the United Kingdom.
During his first official visit, Starmer will visit the port of Durres to see first-hand the cooperation between the United Kingdom and Albania in combating human trafficking, intercepting would-be migrants and arresting criminals using false documents.
According to a British government announcement, cooperation with Albania has demonstrated that the strategy of prevention and interception from the early stages can significantly reduce illegal migration flows to British shores.
The same source reports that arrivals of Albanians by boat have decreased by 95% in the last three years, while the number of Albanians repatriated has doubled – 5,294 in 2024 compared to 2,035 in 2022.
During his stay in Albania, Starmer is expected to announce the expansion of the Joint Migration Force established with Albania and Kosovo to now include North Macedonia, while he will continue positive talks with Montenegro.
The force brings together experts from participating countries to plan and implement operations to detect, prevent and manage irregular migration. The UK will strengthen information sharing with local police authorities and deploy drones to detect gangs transporting migrants through the Western Balkans corridor.
In addition, it will help Albania and Kosovo strengthen border controls.
The expansion of the Joint Migration Force is part of the broader context of the upcoming Balkan Conference to be held in the fall in the United Kingdom, with an emphasis on regional security, economic development and addressing common challenges such as external interventions and irregular migration, through innovative solutions.
Statement by Prime Minister Starmer:
“Global challenges require shared solutions, and our partnership with Albania is already delivering security for citizens in both countries. Our joint action to deter, detect and return irregular migrants demonstrates that action at the root is the right approach to protecting our borders. Every step we take to combat illegal immigration and the criminal networks that support it leads to safer roads in Britain and relieves pressure on taxpayer-funded public services.”
Starmer is expected to agree with his Albanian counterpart, Edi Rama, to strengthen measures against human trafficking, support victims of trafficking and prevent those who return from attempting to migrate again.
In addition, the two countries will launch a new program to combat illicit financing, with investigations into money laundering networks operating between Albania and the United Kingdom.
Britain will also donate two counterfeit document detection devices to the Albanian Police, to detect forged passports and verify their authenticity.
It will also support the fight against the so-called “revolving door phenomenon”, i.e. the return of migrants who try to escape again. It will launch a new social reintegration and job-finding program for young people, focusing on northern Albania, the region where the largest percentage of irregular migrants come from.
The two countries will also strengthen cooperation in the field of serious organized crime, through the funding of a new forensic research program. The program will allow the exchange and monitoring of DNA samples of criminals to solve crimes in the UK.
The recent implementation of this program has led to the arrest of 55 dangerous criminals – including murderers and rapists – thanks to close cooperation between the two countries. The program has recorded 1,000 identifications against British databases in the last 18 months.
The British government will invest an additional £1 million this year in this strategic partnership to upgrade Albania's capabilities in the areas of forensics, biometrics and digital skills.
This will allow authorities in both countries to identify and gather evidence of some of the most serious crimes committed in Albania, the United Kingdom and elsewhere.
Later today, the British Prime Minister will visit the armed forces of Britain and Albania who are training Ukrainian soldiers as part of Operation Interflex, confirming the deepening of cooperation in the field of defense and security.
The second day of the visit includes his participation in the European Political Forum, where he will chair a roundtable on Defense and Security, continuing discussions on innovative solutions to the problem of irregular migration.
