The leaders of Italy, the UK and Albania meet in Rome to hold talks on migration

The leaders of Italy and the U.K. have agreed to tackle irregular migration to Europe

ROME -- The leaders of Italy and the U.K. agreed on Saturday to tackle irregular migration to Europe, pledging to intensify cooperation in the fight against human trafficking.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who held talks in Rome, were also joined by Albanian counterpart Edi Rama, who is seen as a key ally in the efforts to manage migrant arrivals from North Africa to European shores.

Meloni’s office said in a statement after the meeting that the talks with Sunak “focused primarily on the joint work in the field of migration within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in London” in April.

The two leaders reportedly agreed to co-fund a first Italian-British project of assisted voluntary repatriations to countries of origin drawn up by the International Organization for Migration for migrants stranded in Tunisia.

Meloni, Sunak and Rama agreed on the need to manage irregular migration “in an increasingly structured manner, further intensifying cooperation between the three countries to fight human trafficking,” the statement said.