Prime Minister Rama to Corriere della Sera: “For the Italian centers in Albania, we are waiting for the new European Pact on Migration”

In an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Prime Minister Edi Rama declared, “For the Italian centers in Albania, we are waiting for the new European Pact on Migration.”
At the first Italy–Albania intergovernmental summit in Rome, the two countries reaffirmed their increasingly close relationship, as well as the personal and political relationship between Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni and Edi Rama.
Rama went so far as to say that Italy and Albania are “one country.”
“The political and judicial debate over the centers for Italian migrants on Albanian soil is causing headaches,” Rama said.
“What I can say is that we have been and remain on the side of the Italian government on this issue,” he stressed.
Prime Minister, how does this meeting between the two governments in Rome fit into the context of Italy–Albania relations?
Rama: This summit is a historic development in the close strategic relationship between Albania and Italy. It opens new perspectives for cooperation in key sectors of mutual interest, such as energy, defense, and border security. There is no doubt that it will also have an impact at the geopolitical level.
There has been much discussion around the centers for Italian migrants established in northern Albania. What is the current situation with these facilities?
Rama: I have nothing to add beyond what your prime minister explained.
Prime Minister, allow me to insist: Are these centers functioning, or does their model need to be reconsidered?
Rama: The new European Pact on Migration will determine how these centers evolve. The group of countries involved is considerable.
There have been many accusations regarding the management of these centers in Albania, particularly regarding the high costs of handling such a small number of migrants, not to mention the legal issues involved. What is your response?
Rama: Accusations have become an integral part of our daily lives. We are drowning in the endless mud of social media every day, and the dizzying speed at which information moves in the world makes it increasingly difficult to understand the truth. Lies now circulate globally even faster. Albania has not invested a single euro in this project, so at least in this case, we cannot be accused as we usually are.
What issues have the two countries been working on together in recent months?
Rama: Albania’s European integration, which Prime Minister Meloni aptly calls “European reunification”; joint infrastructure, energy, and military projects; and, of course, a united front against trafficking and illegal migration.
Your country’s EU membership remains unrealized for now. How far are we?
Rama: Albania is at a decisive moment. We are opening the final cluster of accession negotiations these days, and we want to complete them by 2027.
What role do you expect Rome to play in this process with regard to Albania?
Rama: “Italy is Albania’s traditional advocate in the EU. It is our strongest voice in Brussels. My country will never be able to repay Italy for all that it has done for us. Albanians will never forget that debt.
However, Italy has long been sidelined at the European level due to political instability. What is Italy’s role in Brussels today?
Rama: Giorgia Meloni has elevated Italy’s international profile, and this is now a widely shared global view. Everyone wants to know the Italian prime minister’s opinion on issues concerning the international community.
With Donald Trump in the White House and the strategic alliance between Russia, China, and India, the EU seems stuck.
Yes, that is true. However, these developments also present a great opportunity for the European Union to revitalize itself.
The issue of Ukraine remains unresolved. Should Kyiv give up its territories to Russia, as some are proposing, or is territorial integrity a prerequisite for any negotiation?
Rama: Albania fully supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and no solution that alters its sovereign borders can be accepted as final. At the same time, however, it is truly worrying that Europe still does not have its own peace plan. I deeply hope it will not arrive too late, even after the war has ended.