Kosovo says agreed to host migrants deported from US

PRISTINA: Kosovo has agreed to an American request to host migrants deported from the United States, the Balkan nation´s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Wednesday.

In a message posted on Facebook, Kurti said Kosovo would “within a one-year period, accept and shelter up to 50 individuals to facilitate their safe return to their country of origin”.

Kosovo is the first in the Balkans to officially respond to the US request for the acceptance and relocation of third-country nationals on its territory.

The announcement comes after days of protests in California against US President Donald Trump´s hard-line immigration policy.

It also follows the signing of an agreement between Kosovo and Denmark to receive foreign prisoners convicted by Denmark, who will serve their sentences in a Kosovar prison.

“The selection of these individuals (deported migrants) will be made from a proposed list, provided that they meet the specified criteria related to the rule of law and public order,” Kurti said.

“During their stay in Kosovo, they will act in accordance with the applicable legislation and enjoy the rights determined by our laws.”

The interim government said the United States remained an “unwavering ally” to Kosovo, the pair having had close ties since the 1990s war for independence from Serbia.