Rome [Italy], December 17: The leaders of Italy, Britain and Albania said here on Saturday that confronting irregular immigration in Europe would require "intensified collaboration" between nations.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama were in Rome for an event covering a wide range of issues including immigration, artificial intelligence, economic development, among others.
The efforts to curb irregular immigration was a fight against illegal traffickers, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said.
"Together, we agreed on the need to address illegal immigration to Europe in an increasingly structured way as well as the need to further intensify collaboration between our nations to combat human traffickers," Meloni said of her closed-door meetings with Sunak and Rama.
With regard to a plan between Italy and Albania to open migrant processing centers in Albania, Rama said, "This is a very important agreement, and we need both governments to know whether they can go ahead or not."
Focusing on parallels between the Italy-Albania deal and Britain's plan to set up a similar agreement featuring migrant centers in Africa, Sunak said, "If migrants come to Italy or England illegally, they will not be able to stay, it must be clear."
Source: Xinhua