LONDON — Kosovo is willing to help the U.K. clamp down on illegal migration, the Kosovan prime minister has said on the eve of a major summit of Western Balkan leaders.
Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, confirmed that he is in talks with the U.K. over reaching a deal to target irregular migration and said his country has a “duty” to help tackle the problem.
Keir Starmer will host talks with the leaders of six nations from the region on Wednesday in London, as he seeks to fulfill his promise to reduce the number of immigrants residing in the U.K. illegally.
Ahead of the meeting, Kurti spoke positively about the prospect of a partnership between his country and the U.K., which officials are expected to discuss on the sidelines of Wednesday’s gathering.
He told a private meeting: “We want to help the U.K. — we consider that that is our friendly and political duty. We have limited capacity but still we want to help, and as we speak there is regular communication between our teams of state officials from our ministry of internal affairs and lawyers about how to do this smoothly for mutual benefit.”
He said that in return, Kosovo would seek greater security cooperation, specifying that the two sides were still working out the details, “but I think this will have a successful result.”
Referring to Britain’s role in efforts to end the Bosnian war in the 1990s, Kurti added that his country had an obligation to assist “because you helped us a great deal and will never forget that.”
U.K. officials confirmed that they were in talks with counterparts about potential return hubs, but stressed it was only one proposal among several being explored.
Starmer has previously voiced enthusiasm for the idea of securing a bilateral agreement for processing people who have exhausted all their options to stay in the U.K. , but has not confirmed active talks with any one country.
Migration hubs were recently discussed at a meeting of Western Balkan foreign ministers at Hillsborough Castle in Belfast, and analysts have pointed to Kosovo as one of the most attractive options for a deal.
Kosovo would likely seek stronger U.K. diplomatic support in the face of threats from Serbia, repelling Russian influence, and securing its own borders.
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