Albania’s Minister of Interior Taulant Balla and the British Foreign Minister, James Cleverly, made a collaborative visit to the newly built Border Police Headquarters in Rinas. This facility was funded by the British Government as part of their support to enhance the capacities of Albania’s State Police.

During the visit, Minister Balla expressed his appreciation for the British Government’s assistance in constructing the Border Police facility at Rinas Airport. He also commended the expertise and support provided by the British Police personnel in this endeavor.

As part of their partnership, the British Government donated a number of drones, that will be utilized for surveillance and monitoring purposes, assisting in the safeguarding of both land and sea borders.

Minister Cleverly praised the highly effective collaboration between the two nations. He noted that this cooperative effort has led to a significant reduction of approximately 90% in the number of Albanians attempting to cross into the United Kingdom. He emphasized that this achievement highlights the power of cooperation and the rapid results that can be achieved when working together.

Cleverly also highlighted that the shift in focus, from addressing illegal Albanian immigration to the UK to addressing transit of immigrants from third countries through Albania, is a unique and successful model of cooperation. He underlined that success can be measured by the tangible results achieved within a short timeframe, making it truly exceptional.

Minister Balla echoed the sentiment of continued collaboration with the UK, stating that this successful model of cooperation could be extended to other areas, such as jointly combating organized crime and addressing various other pertinent issues.

He emphasized the significant positive impact of the partnership, underlining that since the agreement was signed during Prime Minister Edi Rama and Rishi Sunak’s meeting in the UK in December, there has been a remarkable 90% reduction in related incidents.