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No proposal to establish a migrant detention center in Armenia for illegal migrants from European Union member states has been presented to Yerevan, and no such issue has been discussed with the Armenian side, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said in response to a Euronews article.
“We have not received such a proposal, and no such issue has been discussed with us,” Badalyan told Armenpress.
Euronews earlier reported that Italy is bringing to the EU a plan to set up new return centers, based on the Albania model, in safe third countries. The proposal, revealed by leading Italian media outlets and confirmed by government officials, will be presented by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi at the extraordinary Council of European Union interior ministers convened for Tuesday, according to the report.
According to Euronews, Italy is proposing the creation of expulsion hubs of foreign nationals arriving on EU turf unlawfully to safe third countries while their asylum and immigration files are examined.
Among the potential host countries are several African states, with Uganda cited as one of the most concrete options. The question of the resources needed to fund the project, however, remains open. The new hubs, under the Italian proposal, would be financed through the bloc.
An initial list includes also some countries located outside the traditional migration routes. Potential candidates include Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Armenia and Montenegro, according to Euronews.