Interior Minister Blendi Çuçi said that Albania is a worthy candidate to join the EU.

“Joint operations with FRONTEX in Albania, the first of its kind in a non-EU country, play a very important role in strengthening border security, with an indisputable impact on the performance of border services. The results, according to the Agency, are exemplary either in deterring and combating cross-border crime or in managing irregular migration,” he said.

He added that currently, for almost 2 years now, “we have aligned with the EU Border and Coast Guard (FRONTEX) in cracking down on illegal migration but also in managing the influx of asylum seekers from armed conflict-affected countries. ”

“The signing of this working arrangement between the Ministry of Interior of Albania and FRONTEX is a very important moment in our efforts to deepen cooperation with EU structures, in terms of border security and the fight against trafficking in human beings. In the region of Southeast Europe, Albania is the only country that has signed an agreement with FRONTEX, which is an example that is gradually turning into a “best practice,” Çuçi said.

“The renewal of the working arrangement is also an opportunity to assess once more the cooperation between FRONTEX and Albania as a ‘sui generis’ case with a non-EU member state working at the operational level alongside the European authorities to safeguard the security of EU’s external borders. Allow me to illustrate this collaboration with some figures which make the current situation more tangible. In 2020, the number of irregular immigrants halted in our country increased by 60%, while the number of those halted as part of the operation increased more than 2 times, ” the Minister said.

“Although our country has been used as a transit country by illegal migrants, Albania has shown its readiness to manage the phenomenon in question. This is a testament to our unwavering commitment to contribute to the security of the EU’s external borders. On the other hand, we feel privileged that the EU, through Frontex, shows a special attention towards our country, another proof of how Albania is a worthy candidate to join the family of EU member states,” he said.

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