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- Ελληνικά
The Ministry of Interior announces that recently there have been changes in the way traffickers operate, shifting the balance of migrant arrivals by sea, while in terms of the composition of migrants there is an increasing trend towards Syrian nationals.
The authorities of the Republic of Cyprus are making efforts, both at the political and diplomatic, as well as at the technical and operational level, to manage the growing phenomenon of migrants, mainly from Syria, but also the circuits that seem to be operating in the region.
Specifically, at the technocratic level, the issue is being monitored by a working group, which has already been set up on the basis of instructions from the Minister of Interior Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou, consisting of competent officials from the Asylum Service, the Civil Registry and Migration Department, the Aliens and Immigration Service and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The terms of reference of the group are to examine the possibility of revising the policy regarding Syrian nationals, with a view to properly managing those already in the Republic of Cyprus, as well as preventing further flows from Syria.
At the operational level, measures are being taken to identify the traffickers of these migrants and actions are being taken to exchange information between the relevant European services and European agencies, such as EUROPOL.
It is further reported that applicants for international protection, who The aim of this policy is to ensure that the resettlement programme is not a factor of attraction for nationals of certain third countries, who are likely to abuse the programme and use Cyprus as a transit point to other European Member States.
Despite increases in maritime flows, it is noted that asylum applications remain significantly lower than last year, as a result of the coordinated actions and measures taken recently. The measures have visibly contributed to a reduction in asylum applications from migrants from sub-Saharan African countries, with circuits currently shifting towards other nationalities, such as Syrians. For example, asylum applications for June 2023 are at 735, while June 2022 applications were 2,401. It is reported that in July 2022 asylum applications were 1,770, while by mid-July 2023 asylum applications remain at lower levels again (around 550 people).
(EFYs)
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