Italy sends first asylum seekers to Albania under controversial pact

Men from countries deemed safe are transferred to Albania to have asylum claims processed

The first people to be intercepted at sea by the Italian navy under a controversial migration deal with Albania are on their way to the Balkan nation to have their asylum claims processed.

As part of the pact signed off on by Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, a navy ship set off on Monday “with some irregular migrants onboard”, the interior ministry confirmed. The ministry did not provide a precise figure.