Greece and Albania open joint police center in Kakavia

Deputy Ministers Julian Hodaj (left) and Lefteris Ikonomu in Kakavia.

 Greece and Albania signed the opening of a joint police center in Kakavija to fight cross-border crime. The center is located on the Greek side of the border and will be composed of specialists from both countries.

The agreement for the opening of the center was signed by the Albanian Deputy Minister of Interior Julian Hodaj and the Greek counterpart Lefteris Ikonomu and envisages the establishment of a joint police and customs corps in the center's premises on the Greek side of the border.

The joint agreement provides for police and customs co-operation and the exchange of information related to various forms of crime on the borders of the two countries.

The agreement in the areas of co-operation and the centre's acting authority includes co-operation to crack down on the transport and trafficking of narcotics or weapons, co-operation to prevent violent extremism and the recruitment of foreign fighters, combat illegal migration, detect and crack down on perpetrators, violations related to customs and border procedures.

Albanian Deputy Interior Minister Julian Hodaj said that this was just the beginning of several initiatives to "deepen Albanian-Greek cooperation".

While the Greek Deputy Minister of Order Lefteris Ikonomu said that "The center would operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with joint staff and was an expression of the will of both countries to fight crime. The center is expected to start operating after a month and is an initiative of Greece which has opened such with Bulgaria and Turkey.