TIRANA, April 20 /ATA/ – The Minister Interior Sandër Lleshaj said in a televised interview on Friday evening that a decision by the House of Representatives of the Netherlands earlier this week to temporary reintroduce the visa regime for the Albanian nationals has been rejected by the Dutch government itself.
“What has happened in the parliament of the Netherlands has been objected by the Dutch cabinet itself, which doesn’t consider it a serious problem. I support the position of the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security. Albanian nationals pose no dramatic problem to the Netherlands. Albanian nationals account for around 0,19% percent of the crime contingent in the Netherlands, trailing Poles, Moroccans and others. The parliament’s decision has nothing to do with the objective reality on the ground but is based on perceptions. A number of actors are playing a role in tarnishing the Albanians’ image. The populist and nationalists and far-right parties, which are making gains in Europe, are also playing a negative role,” Lleshaj said.
The Interior Minister voiced Albania’s readiness to closely and strongly cooperate with a major partner country like the Netherlands in the fight against criminal groups.
“We have offered our readiness to act and cooperate with joint investigation teams in our efforts to hit element criminals that are damaging the country. Albania has a very good cooperation with the Netherlands and we have expressed our commitment to further boost bilateral cooperation during the recent meeting with the Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Ferdinand Grapperhaus. A discussion on suspending the visa-free regime is absurd. Dutch Minister did not voiced concern over the possible reintroduction of the visa-regime. The Dutch parliament’s decision is unlikely to affect the visa-free travel for the Albanian nationals,” he said.
Lleshaj also stated that the number of Albanian citizens applying for asylum in EU member states has dropped by 300%. He announced that a Dutch government delegation will visit Tirana soon.
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