Asylum applications in Cyprus increased by 87% from 2020 to 2021, as reported at the Ad Hoc Committee for the Study of the Demographic Problem, which examined the pressures that Cyprus faces in relation to the issue.
The Chairman of the Committee, ELAM MP Linos Papagiannis, in a statement quoted figures which he said "show how far the situation has gone."
As he said, in 2021 a total of 13,235 people entered the country and sought asylum. Of these, 12,285 were illegal arrivals from the various points of the Green Line, confirming - as he said - ELAM's assessment that Turkey is implementing a specific plan. He also said that an overwhelming majority come from African countries, while 1/5 of the asylum seekers are Syrians. He also said that for 2021 there were 16,249 decisions of which 9,000 have been rejected. There were, he added, 1,777 voluntary returns and 1,829 applications made subsequently.
He also said that in the last two months or so, 2,274 people were deported from Cyprus and 2,320 in total in 2021. Papagiannis said that the planning that had been done for the deportations according to the statements of the relevant ministers was about three times higher, so they are not satisfied. He also stated that after his own complaints to the Commission, a few dozen illegal immigrants have been arrested in places he indicated.
At the same time, he said that the efforts made by Cyprus to send Syrians back to their country were not commensurate. He said that when Konstantinos Petrides was Interior Minister, Syria had requested the repatriation of Syrians to the country. However, for this to happen, he said, the Interior Ministry replied that Syria should be considered a safe space at the European level.
"Both the Syrian embassy and other Syrian diplomats believe that we have not exhausted our possibilities as a state and that the efforts of all the ministries involved have not been commensurate," he said.
He also said that Denmark has already proceeded with 92 deportations to Syria and they are waiting to see if they will eventually face any penalties.
DISY MP Prodromos Alabritis said that unfortunately Cyprus is facing an unbearable burden more than its fair share. In 2021, he said, there were 13,235 asylum applications compared to 7,094 in 2020, so there was an 87% increase. He added that the majority are from African countries, while many use the illegal status of the occupied territories and come to the free areas through the illegal airport in occupied Tymbou.
He recommended that EU assistance be sought through FRONTEX and Europol to protect the Union's external borders but also financial support for those in need. He also recommended better surveillance of the Green Line and tougher penalties for traffickers and exploiters of human suffering and through the Foreign Ministry to make agreements with countries to repatriate illegal migrants.
Source: CNA
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