The Guardian: CE member-states consider Armenia haven for unwanted  asylum seekers

ArmInfo.  The UK and 45 other European countries have signed an agreement that explicitly endorses plans to send unwanted asylum seekers to third country hubs.

A political declaration from the 46 members of the Council of Europe,  the body that oversees the European convention on human rights  (ECHR), said states had an "undeniable sovereign right" to control  their borders.

It is understood that the UK is now seeking a deal with an unnamed  third country, similar to the Italy-Albania agreement that allowed  Rome to place detention centres in Albania.

In that deal, the hubs were initially intended for asylum seekers  from countries considered safe while their applications were  processed. Giorgia Meloni's government has since used them to hold  people to be deported whose applications have been rejected.

According to the seven-page document, countries should be free "to  address and potentially deter irregular migration".

It said: "Amongst the forms of new approaches that have been  envisaged by several member states are processing requests for  international protection in a third country, third country 'return  hubs', and cooperation with countries of transit."

The agreement also attempts to give more scope for countries to  deport people to places where they may be in danger of inhuman or  degrading treatment, and to limit courts' powers to intervene.

Ministers have claimed that articles 3 and 8 of the convention - the  right to live free from torture and the right to family life - have  been used to prevent people with no right to be in the UK from being  removed.

"Caution should be exercised : when assessing whether the expulsion  or extradition of an individual to a non-state party would violate a  state's obligations under article 3 of the convention," the agreement  said.

The convention has become a significant point of contention between  the main political parties. While Keir Starmer backs ECHR changes,  the Conservatives and Reform UK have pledged to leave.

One leading migration specialist said she was not convinced that a  political agreement would have a significant effect on immigration  cases.

Madeleine Sumption, the director of the Migration Observatory at  Oxford University, said: "It's not clear how much impact a political  declaration makes given that judges' decisions are also driven by  domestic and international case law, which this declaration does not  change. How much concrete difference it will make remains to be  seen."

Yvette Cooper, who finalised the agreement at the high-level meeting  in Chisinau, Moldova, is expected to discuss hubs over the next two  days.

The foreign secretary told the Guardian: "Reform and the  Conservatives have called for the ripping up of international law  altogether - even though those same international laws are essential  to our law enforcement cooperation against the criminal smuggler  gangs, or to upholding pillars such as the Good Friday agreement.

"The Greens have called instead for the ripping up of border controls  - damaging our national security. Neither of their approaches  delivers for our national interest.

"That is why Labour is reforming the ECHR with partners from across  the continent, because we know the relationships we build abroad make  us stronger at home."

Alain Berset, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, said  discussions about removing people who arrived in Europe by irregular  routes would take place during the conference "at a multilateral  level".

Starmer's government has promoted setting up return hubs as a  possible deterrent to irregular migration. Shabana Mahmood, the home  secretary, told MPs in November that the Home Office was in "active  negotiations" with several countries, but no deals had been  confirmed.

The previous government's plans to send people arriving by small  boats to Rwanda, which cost 715m pound sterling by 2024, was  cancelled after failing to send a single person. The supreme court  ruled the policy was unlawful because Rwanda was not a safe country.

The EU has voted to allow the possibility of return hubs, with  Austria, Denmark, Germany, Greece and the Netherlands involved in  talks.

Discussions have reportedly centred on 11 countries - Armenia, Egypt,  Ethiopia, Ghana, Libya, Mauritania, Rwanda, Senegal, Tunisia, Uganda  and Uzbekistan.  Montenegro has denied reports that it is considering  housing refused asylum seekers.

Prof Eirik Bjorge KC, a legal academic at the University of Bristol,  also questioned the effect of the declaration, but "deplored"  attempts to modify human rights protections.

"Article 3 is an embodiment of the very object and purpose of the  convention and as such cannot be modified through political  declarations," he said. "In that regard, I deplore the attempt to  relativise the notion of inhuman and degrading treatment."

Human rights organisations said they were concerned by the  declaration. Akiko Hart, the director of Liberty, said: "The Chisinau  political declaration on the ECHR is a hugely significant moment.

"We are deeply concerned that changing how the ECHR is used by UK  courts will open the door to a gradual weakening of human rights  protections."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/15/uk-joins-european-deal-to-send- rejected-asylum-seekers-to-third-country- hubs?fbclid=IwY2xjawR1JGBleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFFWVFKNDVRZW5HTX dEdU41c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgjPZjTY3TFtSvj CWG5o99whFHqc0dXqTplTPL57204emmf7vBk3nkmr14yT_aem_mzlMbpKDz7jixM2 WwTQqpQ