Denmark is set to open an asylum centre in Rwanda outside of the European Union to reduce the number of people seeking refuge.

On Thursday, the Danish foreign ministry said in a statement that the office will be manned by two diplomats, and will be based in the capital of Kigali.

“Denmark will work to strengthen cooperation with Rwanda on increased political dialogue and strengthened partnership with a focus on e.g. climate, good governance, as well as cooperation in the area of ​​asylum and migration in continuation of the two cooperation agreements that Rwanda and Denmark entered into in 2021. The project office will open during the second half of 2022 and consist of two seconded diplomats,” the statement said.

In April, Denmark and Rwanda began discussions about a procedure for transferring asylum seekers to the East African nation, following the United Kingdom’s deal designed to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the channel.

The deal was to “ensure a more dignified approach than the criminal network of human traffickers that characterises migration across the Mediterranean today,” Immigration Minister Mattias Tesfaye had said.

Amnesty International had kicked against the deal, calling it “unconscionable and potentially unlawful“.

Last year, Denmark passed a law allowing it to relocate refugees arriving on Danish soil to asylum centres in a partner country. It had approached multiple countries about a potential asylum deal, including Tunisia and Ethiopia. 

The European Commission turned down its requests to partner, saying that relocating refugees outside Europe was “not possible” under current European Union rules. Denmark, due to an opt-out, is exempt from some EU rules, including asylum criteria.