ALBANIA’s prime minister smiles as he shakes hands with number 10 Rishi Sunak yesterday – before claiming that the way his country’s Channel migrants are being singled out is “disgraceful”.
Edi Rama taunted the interior minister Suella Braverman who last year referred to “Albanian criminals” who make the dangerous journey in small boats.
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The row erupted like Rishi Sunak met his counterpart in Downing Street to discuss how to tackle the issue of illegal migrants from the Eastern European country.
Mr Rama said: “Unfortunately, we have seen ourselves and our community being singled out for political purposes in this country.
“It was a very, very shameful moment for British politics.”
He told the BBC: “This was a very low point in our relationships, but there is a will to overcome it.
“We will always refuse to have this mix between some of the criminals and the Albanians as such, because giving an ethnic seal to the crime is itself a crime.”
The diplomatic spat began late last year when Ms Barverman mentioned “criminals” from the country in an exchange with Labor in the Commons.
She also said that Albanians should not apply for asylum here because they come from a “safe country”.
A committee of MPs heard last year that between one and two percent of Albania’s total male population came here.