Albania-France/Cooperation agreement signed
Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj received French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, which is holding a two-day official visit to Tirana. This meeting in the Albanian capital comes after two ones held in Paris, in July and November this year.
The two ministers praised the very good relationship established at the decision-making level in both the Ministries and Police of the two countries, which through increased mutual trust affects the consolidation of joint results against organized crime.
Minister Collomb during the meeting stated that the crime has no nationality, but it is transnational, and involves different citizens from different countries. According to him, it imposes the creation of a new relationship between the countries in this war.
The French Minister supported the request of Minister Xhafaj and promised within the framework of the “Power of Law” operation, attaching to the Albanian Police two officers specializing in the fight against criminal groups and money laundering, in addition to those coming from the US and Germany.
Collomb praised the work done in these months by the Albanian side for additional measures at the border crossing points in the framework of fighting irregular migration and asylum seekers.
France’s interior minister stated during the two delegations’ meeting that the issue of migratory flows, including unaccompanied minors, remains to be solved together. The issue of illegal migration, Collomb said, requires solutions from both sides. Even the laws in France need improvement, he added. Asylum procedures in France take a lot of time and currently there is a legal vacuum, which dictates the need for reform in this regard.
At the end of the two delegations’ meeting, the ministers signed the administrative agreement “On Strengthening Operational Police Co-operation and Reception of Albanian Police Officers on a Mission in France”.
The bilateral agreement puts in a new phase the co-operation between the two ministries and relies on the growing trust and professional skills of the Albanian police. The State Police will send its officers to France in the framework of the fight against organized crime and the prevention of the asylum seeker phenomenon, for a better exchange of information, in-depth analysis and improvement of forms of cooperation.
The deal paves the way for a further phase of cooperation between the two countries, for deeper investigations, built on the work of the French and Albanian police joint teams, especially for the criminal groups operating in both countries./tvklan.al