Albania says only Italy is allowed to operate migrant asylum centers in the country

Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s prime minister says his government turned down many requests from other European Union countries to take in thousands of asylum-seekers but made an exception for Italy. An Italian navy ship is expected to dock at the Albanian port of Shengjin with the first group of 16 migrants. They were intercepted in international waters and their asylum applications will be processed in two centers in Albania instead of in Italy, under a five-year agreement between the two countries. Prime Minister Edi Rama, speaking in Luxembourg at an European Union conference, on Tuesday repeated that no other country will be able to operate asylum centers in Albania.