NORTH Macedonia and Croatia held talks with Sir Keir Starmer yesterday as he sought sites for Balkans deportation centres.
Both nations were tight-lipped over whether they agreed to host failed asylum-seekers from Britain.
PAKeir Starmer held talks with North Macedonia and Croatia as he sought sites for Balkans deportation centres[/caption] Sir Keir has said he will consider any option to stem the illegal flow by deterring migrants from attempting Channel crossingsAFPSpeaking in Albania, Sir Keir said: “I have had a number of discussions with leaders here today, numerous discussions, including about return hubs.”
He added that the offshore migrant centres would “be a very important additional tool in our armoury”.
But the Prime Minister refused to say if any country had yet agreed to the plan, after being publicly snubbed by Albania during his two-day visit to the region.
Last year, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the PM was “very interested” in a deal where Italy deports migrants to Albania for processing.
Sir Keir has said he will consider any option to stem the illegal flow by deterring migrants from attempting the Channel crossing.
However, the Italian deal has been bogged down by legal challenges, with the UK closely monitoring the outcome.
The PM’s visit to Albania comes amid a busy week of crossings that has pushed arrivals from France to 12,699 already this year — 30 per cent higher than the same period last year.
Sir Keir and his Albanian counterpart Edi Rama will announce measures to clamp down on people-smuggling, including using British drones to monitor criminals sneaking migrants through the region.
No10 said the number of Albanians making the crossing had fallen by 95 per cent in the past three years, while the number returned had doubled between 2022 and 2024 after increased co-operation between the two countries.
A task force with Albania and Kosovo will be expanded to include North Macedonia and Montenegro.
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