Albanian Premier's Media Intervention: Italy's Migrant Deal Under Scrutiny
Italy has become the inaugural European Union member state to forge an agreement with Albania, a third-party nation, aimed at repatriation of migrants and asylum seekers who have entered Italy illegally and whose claims have been denied, as reported by Dan Alexe.
Similarly, the United Kingdom has entered into a contentious accord with Rwanda, an African nation. However, within Italy, the press has unearthed a series of financial irregularities surrounding the proposed relocation of migrants to Albania, according to the author.
This occurrence is both rare and significantly consequential: a head of government directly contacting the director of a neighbouring country's television network to request a modification of its editorial stance. Such was the case last week in Italy, garnering considerable attention in the national press. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama engaged in what he described as a "cordial" discussion with Paolo Corsini, Director of News Programming at RAI, the Italian public broadcaster. This extraordinary exchange saw the leader of a foreign government contacting a senior official of the Italian public broadcaster.
The purpose of this exchange was to address concerns regarding a recent report casting a dubious light on the agreement facilitating the transfer of migrants from Italy to Albania. The accord, inked by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Albanian Premier Edi Rama, came under scrutiny. According to investigative journalist Giorgio Mottola's televised exposé, a pivotal figure in the agreement is Engjell Agaci, Secretary of the Albanian Council Presidency. Agaci, formerly a legal representative for Albanian drug traffickers in Italy, now holds a crucial position in the council overseeing the agreement.
Prime Minister Rama vehemently denounced the report as "the most scandalous slander against Albania," emphasising the significance of accurate portrayal in media, especially concerning Albania's past portrayal in the Italian press.
Furthermore, the report highlighted burgeoning costs associated with the construction of two refugee centres in Albania, originally funded by Italy. The expenditure, initially budgeted at 650 million euros over five years, is now projected to exceed one billion euros.
The response from Italy's public broadcaster, RAI, was unequivocal: "It is paradoxical for a foreign head of government to directly intervene with a public service manager following a citation in a journalistic inquiry. Even if Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama perceived our journalistic efforts as detrimental, his direct intervention with RAI cannot be justified."
Translation by Iurie Tataru
