Rome has reached an agreement with Tirana to build centers there to accommodate up to 39,000 migrants each year. Albanians fear that this measure will endanger the local tourism industry.
The port of Shëngjin in Albania, located 75 kilometers from Tirana… It is here that the first reception center for relocated migrants in Italy could soon see the light of day, if the agreement between Rome and Tirana comes into force. But local residents denounce a decision taken without public consultation.
“This will cause problems. Shëngjin, in particular, is not a suitable destination to receive migrants. It is a tourist destination that must be exploited and well managed for tourism” explains an employee of Shëngjin town hall.
A passerby adds: “I don’t agree at all with the Prime Minister nor with Giorgia Meloni. Let Giorgia Meloni keep them there!”
“It’s not good! Go tell Edi Rama: ‘don’t bring these people here but send them south’. Perhaps he’s even doing this on purpose so that tourism, our tourism, doesn’t not develop” exclaims a resident of Shëngjin.
But some local residents believe that solidarity can bring opportunities, like this trader: “It’s very good. I’m happy that we signed this. The Afghans…the Africans are respectful people. They will bring their culture and it will be good for us because it will create more jobs.”
In Shëngjin, most residents fear that relocated migrants will jeopardize the region’s rapidly growing tourism industry. The Italian government would like to relocate up to 36,000 asylum seekers to Albania by spring 2024.