-
.
- Ελληνικά
Today we had a very important meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union, and of course the issue that dominated the discussion, to a large extent, is what is happening in the neighbourhood of the Republic of Cyprus, in the Middle East. What security measures are being taken by the other EU countries was discussed extensively, and I referred to the increased security measures taken by the Government of the Republic, which have been taken from the very first moment.
Another issue that was discussed in this context is the tensions that exist both in the public debate and in meetings that take place under these conditions. I pointed out that Cyprus is an important station where people who are trying to leave Israel for their own reasons are hosted. We have activated the ESIA Plan, we are hosting and escorting a large number of Israeli citizens who usually also have European or other citizenship.
The Republic of Cyprus has been very effective so far, although we are dealing with a large number of people and what is our responsibility is not only to make sure that they reach their destination safely, but also to make sure that they are safe while they are within the territory of the Republic, because they are likely to be targeted.
It was also clear from the discussion how important it is to have cooperation at European level, and of the intelligence services, but also to have a dialogue on the policing measures that may be necessary in each country. There should be an exchange of good practices and suggestions that can be used by all Member States.
Finally, we also dealt with Schengen issues. We discussed the progress made and ratified the EU decisions on transnational cooperation, on crime, organised crime and more specifically on drug trafficking. But also on what we see happening today with migration flows, which is, unfortunately, the smuggling of people.
(The video of the statement is available here)
B/I
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
