It is now official that Albania is negotiating to shelter thousands of Afghans, and it is also a fact that for years now, our country has been facing thousands of illegal refugees trying to escape their war-struck hometowns.
Korca, being a country that borders with Greece, has become the first gateway for migrants trying to enter the Republic of Albania.
During the past year, Euronews Albania’s correspondents in Korca have encountered dozens of refugees whose plan was to cross into countries of the EU. They also don’t hesitate to admit that the Albanian police has treated them much better than the Greek one.
“I’m from Palestine and I want to go to Tirana. After Tirana, I will go to Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia and Germany. People in Albania are good. I am not scared of the Albanian police,” said a Palestinian citizen.
Coincidentally, Euronews Albania’s filming crew was met by a group of refugees, who had just been captured by the police and were being sent to the information centers set up for refugees in Kapshtica.
When we asked them where they were headed to, one of the refugees said that everything he was doing, was for his sick son.
“I have been traveling for a month to come here. From Turkey to Greece and then Albania. The Albanian police has just captured us. I want to go to Holland. My son is very sick and Holland has good hospitals. In Syria there’s war now, bombings. Living in my country is very dangerous now,” said a Syrian refugee.
Unfortunately, the influx of refugees has awakened the desire of opportunist criminal groups for illegal earnings.
Only during 2020, the police operation called ‘perimeter’ cracked on 100 cases of illegal trafficking, including 173 offenders that were criminally prosecuted.
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