A memorandum of understanding which attempts to alleviate issues stemming from the migration pressures faced by the Republic was signed with the EU on Monday.
The stated aims of the agreement are to enhance first reception capacity, the implementation of timely asylum procedures, establish effective integration and improve efficiency of returns.
It is the last point – returns – which has most recently become the focus of the Republic’s efforts to reduce the number of migrants and failed asylum seekers.
At the presidential palace, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson signed the memorandum on behalf of the EU, with Interior Minister Nicos Nouris signing for the Republic.
European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas also signed, with President Nicos Anastasiades hailing the memorandum as an important development.
“It marks the real solidarity of the EU Commission towards Cyprus in dealing with the urgent crisis it is facing,” Anastasiades said.
Schinas struck a tone of EU solidarity, saying that no member state under pressure will be left alone.
He said that the memorandum has identified three key areas for improvement: Identifying and dealing with migration flows from Turkey, assisting in asylum procedures through funding while also increasing the number of people returned to their countries of origin.
For his part, Nouris said that while the Green Line is not an external border of the Republic it is the point at which dozens of irregular migrants arrive daily.
He added that the memorandum is proof that Europe is on the side of Cyprus in managing the migration issue.
Nouris met with Schinas over the weekend as the pair toured sections of the Green Line, an area which the government says is the point of entry for up to 85 per cent of those who seek protection in the Republic.
“What I see here today on the green line, shocks me,” Schinas said. “Under no circumstances is Cyprus alone in this struggle”.
Cyprus, he said, “needs to bear on its shoulders, an extremely large, disproportionate burden of responsibility for the whole of Europe.”
He also said there must be a large wave of returns of those who do not have the right to remain in Europe and will go to Turkey himself in March to address the issue of irregular migrants.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Mail
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Mail
Source
