European country earmarked for return hub deal despite Keir Starmer’s ‘wishful thinking’
The move comes after Starmer failed to establish a similar deal with Albania (Image: Getty)
Sir Keir Starmer is edging closer to an agreement with Kosovo to establish a return hub that could allow asylum seekers to be processed offshore. The move risks angering Russia, which has for decades sought to increase its influence in the Balkans and could now help the government tackle the small boat crisis.
Foreign ministers from Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia will gather today in Northern Ireland to look at ways in which they can integrate further with European allies and institutions. The meeting could see the UK seek to establish a return hub, with Kosovo a prime target due its close links with Britain and the desire of its leadership to foster closer ties with London. The move comes after Starmer failed to establish a similar relationship with Albania following a visit to the country earlier this year.
It is hoped a return hub could have a deterrant effect on small boat crossings (Image: Getty)
Andi Hoxhaj, lecturer in law at King’s College London, told Politico: “Keir Starmer was the first sitting prime minister to visit Albania in 104 years of bilateral relations, and he wanted with the first visit to get a migration return deal. That’s wishful thinking, to put it mildly.”
Establishing an agreement with Kosovo could alter the dynamic in the Balkans, with the country seeking to rid itself of influence from Serbia and Russia.
Geographically, Kosovo is situated conveniently on one of the main routes used by migrants destined for Britain, meaning that the presence of migrant hubs could ultimately have a deterrent effect.
Last year, nearly 22,000 people used the Western Balkans to enter the EU, according to statistics released by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Osmani says Kosovo is “open” to establishing a returns hub (Image: Getty)
Kosovan President Vjosa Osmani has previously described her country as being “open” to the possibility of establishing an arrangement with the UK.
Whilst the agreement could work in the favour of Kosovo as it seeks to stabilise the region in the face of growing tension with Serbia and increased attempts by Russia to increase its influence, one expert believes that the instability could pose a risk to the UK if agreed.
Arminka Helic, a former FCDO adviser who fled Bosnia for the U.K. in the 1990s, believes that any potential agreement is fraught with risk.
Helic said: “How can you address such a big issue with such an unstable region, particularly because that region is deeply entangled with malign Russian influence. I don’t think it can work.”
