The agreement signed last year by Italy's Premier Giorgia Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama aims to process the asylum claims of migrants rescued at sea while keeping them in Albania, a move that has garnered both criticism and support.
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00:00Welcome to Shenzhen, about an hour north of Tirana in Albania.
00:10As you can see, it's a bustling tourism destination, but a couple of years ago, it also became
00:15home to several hundred Afghan refugees after the Taliban took back power in Afghanistan.
00:20Today, many still remain and are calling it home, but it has made headlines for another
00:25kind of migrant recently.
00:27At the end of 2023, the Albanian government and the Italian government signed an agreement
00:32that would see migrants found by the Italian authorities processed in Albania.
00:39Between here, the port and Jadra, there will be a capacity of 3,000 people.
00:44They will arrive here first, they will have their details taken, they'll then be transferred
00:48to Jadra.
00:49Both centers are closed.
00:51That means no one can go in and no one can go out.
00:53They will be guarded and secured internally by the Italian authorities, as they're technically
00:58Italian soil.
00:59Externally, the perimeter will be patrolled by Albanian authorities.
01:03When they are at the centers, they will be provided with health care, legal assistance,
01:08and of course, basic necessities, food and toiletries.
01:11Everything is funded by the Italian government.
01:14Today, I have been given exclusive information from a senior official who has said that this
01:21center behind me will be ready to accept people as of the 15th of August, meaning the
01:26initial deadline of the 1st of August will be missed.
01:29So there will be a capacity of 1,000 people who will be welcomed.
01:33Meanwhile, work is continuing on Jadra.
01:36They confirmed to me that both centers will be fully operational at full capacity by the
01:41start of September.
01:45So as for what local people think about these two centers, it's true there have been protests
01:49in Tirana and Lesia, and there are people who are against them.
01:53But I spend a lot of time in this area.
01:55I live locally here for half of the year, and I've spoken to a lot of local people.
02:00And honestly, they're not really that bothered about it.
02:03They understand the centers will be closed, and they're not particularly worried about
02:06any negative impact on tourism or the local economy.
02:09They've had experience with Afghans coming to live here, who've integrated, who are now
02:14part of the community.
02:15They're not really that bothered.
02:17And also, they're not very keen to talk to the media for a wide range of reasons.
02:21But overall, people are not too concerned, and they're hopeful that perhaps investment
02:25from the Italian government might improve some infrastructure, such as electric and
02:29roads in the local area.