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- Ελληνικά
The final Action Plan (PA) for the management of migration flows in the Eastern Mediterranean was presented today by the European Commission to the Interior Ministers during the Council of Ministers taking place in Luxembourg. The Action Plan, which was adopted yesterday by the College of Commissioners, has been a constant request from Cyprus, as it is considered a very important tool in the efforts to effectively address the increased flows in the region. The Interior Minister underlined the importance for Cyprus of the adoption of the Action Plan and welcomed the fact that it includes measures requested by the Republic of Cyprus, the implementation of which is expected to contribute substantially to addressing the issue. At the same time, he stressed the need for the practical implementation of what is set out in the plan and called on the Commission and the European External Action Service to take immediate initiatives in this direction.
In the context of the discussion, the Ministers exchanged views on the external dimension of migration as well as on the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas and its impact on the region. Ioannou stressed the importance of substantially upgrading the EU's relations with regional partners on the basis of mutually beneficial frameworks for cooperation and measurable results. He added that third countries in the European neighbourhood should act as pillars of stability and suggested that the process of signing a cooperation agreement between Frontex Lebanon and Frontex Egypt should be activated. This, he noted, could ensure the presence of the European Border Guard in the territorial waters of these countries, contributing to their efforts for effective border surveillance.
Regarding the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, Ioannou stressed the need for coordinated action by the EU in order to address possible refugee flows to EU Member States. In this context, he called on the Commission to elaborate and present a concrete management plan at European level, providing for specific actions corresponding to the magnitude of the possible crisis that would arise. He conveyed to his counterparts the concern of Cyprus - should it not be possible to contain the flows and provide adequate hospitality and assistance from neighbouring countries - that our country could be faced with increased refugee flows, in addition to the already high pressures from the flows from Syria, Lebanon and Turkey.
In the margins of the Council, the Minister had a meeting with the Director of the European Asylum Agency, Ms. Nina Gregory, with whom they discussed the measures taken in Cyprus for the effective management of migration. During the discussion, the Minister expressed Cyprus' concerns regarding the issue of Syria, particularly given Cyprus' proximity to the region and the extent to which the RoC is affected by the continuous flows from Syria and Lebanon, without having tools at its disposal to be able to manage these flows. He therefore reiterated the need to reopen the discussion on the assessment of the region in order to ensure, as far as practicable, the possibility of targeted returns, certainly under terms and conditions that correspond to the situation in Syria.
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