On August 4, Corriere della Sera, the Italian media agency, reported that Italy is considering Armenia as one of several potential locations for migrant processing centers as part of a broader effort to strengthen the European Union's migration policy. According to Corriere della Sera, Giorgia Meloni, the Prime Minister of Italy, plans to seek support from several European countries for a stricter approach to migration. The report states that Rome is proposing to expand the "Albanian model," under which migrant repatriation centers would be established with EU funding, primarily in African countries. A preliminary list of possible partner states reportedly includes Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, Uganda, Ethiopia, as well as Uzbekistan, Montenegro and Armenia. The newspaper also reported that Italy is proposing to make EU trade preferences for developing countries more closely dependent on their cooperation in accepting the return of migrants. According to the report, Rome intends to combine economic incentives with migration policies to curb illegal immigration.

Responding to the reports, Ani Badalyan, the Spokesperson for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, stated that Armenia has not received any proposal from Italy regarding the establishment of a migrant detention or processing center on its territory. Badalyan emphasized that no such initiative has been presented to the Armenian authorities or discussed with Yerevan, despite media reports suggesting Italy could raise the issue of creating similar centers in several countries, including Armenia, during the EU Council meeting on August 4. "We have received no such proposal, and the issue has not been discussed with us," Badalyan stated.