An Italian navy ship carrying migrants picked up in international waters arrived in Albania on Tuesday (January 28), in an attempt by the Italian government to push ahead with a legally contested plan to relocate migrants to the neighboring country. - REUTERS
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00:00An Italian Navy ship carrying 49 migrants picked up in international waters arrived
00:07in Albania on Tuesday.
00:10According to a Reuters witness, the Navy ship Cassiopeia reached Schengen, a coastal town
00:16in Albania.
00:18It was part of a new attempt by Italy to push ahead with a legally contested plan to relocate
00:23migrants to the neighbouring country.
00:27Migrants will be identified at a facility and then moved to a detention centre.
00:31The Italian government has built two reception centres in Albania.
00:35It is the first such deal by a European Union nation to divert migrants to a non-EU country
00:42to limit sea arrivals to its territory.
00:45But the facilities have been empty since November.
00:51Italian judges questioned the validity of the relocation plan and ordered the first
00:55two batches of migrants previously detained in Albania to be moved back to Italy.
01:00The controversy surrounding the plan revolves around a ruling by the European Court of Justice
01:05last year, which was not related to Italy.
01:09The court said no nation of origin could be considered safe if even just a part of it
01:13was dangerous.
01:15That undermined Rome's idea of deporting migrants to Albania, who hailed from a government-drafted
01:20list of safe countries, with a view to swiftly repatriating them.
01:25The European Court is set to review Italy's plan in the coming weeks and clarify whether
01:29it is in compliance with EU law.