Albanian PM Slams UK Asylum Plan as ‘Dark Turn’

In his first interview with international media since being re-elected for a historic fourth term in office, Rama said he couldn't believe the UK is now contemplating measures he insists would have been unthinkable just ten years ago.

Rama said the plan — unveiled by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a visit to Albania — is a symptom of a change in British political talk, in which what he described as “totally unacceptable, totally ridiculous, totally shameful” ideas have been normalized.

He said that this shift is not about individual leaders per se, but rather Britain’s broader trajectory since the country left the European Union.

Albania Declines to Serve as Return Hubs or Elsewhere
During Starmer’s trip to Tirana in May — the first by a serving British prime minister — he said the nations in question were being approached by the UK to establish the proposed Asylum processing hubs.

But Rama insisted he had publicly turned down the scheme, on the grounds that he had already rejected similar proposals from former UK leaders Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

Rama explained that Albania had accepted a similar scheme with Italy, but that these were special cases based on a long-time history of trust.


Since the fall of its Stalinist government in 1991, Italy had been a special place in Albanian hearts, he said, adding that his country had also been enriched by Italy because of its protection.

Relations between the UK and Albania in the past had been less friendly, notably under previous Conservative governments which took a very negative view of Albanian migrants.

Rama conceded that the presentation of the plan might not be straight from Starmer, but added that whatever the UK government, his position had not changed.

An Assertive Albania Turns to the EU
Rama’s hard line is in line with Albania’s increasing self-assuredness on the world stage. With the country now well on its way to joining the European Union — Rama believes EU accession could be finalized by 2030, with negotiations wrapping up by 2027 — he sees the new government center as “a reflection of the new reality in the country.”

But, having done so, Mr. Rama said, the political context had now changed. There was a new geopolitical urgency after Russia invaded Ukraine, he said, and with it, leaders in the European Union were now paying new attention to Balkan integration.

He also embraced what he believes to be a revived European spirit sparked by global political upheaval, including the ascendancy of Donald Trump. Rama said Trump’s election lifted Europe out of its comfort zone and aided efforts to refocus on unity.

Rama will start a “thank you” tour of Albanian diaspora communities, which turned out to vote in record numbers in the election, later this year.

He foresees that this interaction will bring Albanians home as local salaries are now competing with those in Greece. In the face of criticism over alleged corruption and authoritarianism, Rama — a former pro basketball player who is now Albania’s longest-serving leader since the dictator Enver Hoxha — also said he would step down if EU membership became reality, saying it would be a great day for his country and the continent.