[PIO] Statements by the Minister of Interior after the briefing of the heads of diplomatic missions of the EU Member States

The Minister of Interior Mr. Constantinos Ioannou, in his statements after the briefing at the Presidential Palace of the accredited heads of diplomatic missions of the EU member states on the magnitude of the migration problem in Cyprus, referred to the Eastern Mediterranean Action Plan as follows. We as a member state have put forward our own positions, what we think should be included. We have also forwarded it to Brussels, three weeks ago during my visit, where I was pleased to realise that Brussels is also oriented towards the same package of measures and the aim is for the action plan to be completed by next June and for its implementation to begin."

The figures and presentation are attached here.

In response to a reporter's question about the figures presented and whether they demonstrate the magnitude of the problem, Mr. Ioannou replied that figures have been presented, for example, that in the last seven years there has been a 490% increase in the arrivals of illegal migrants; that 95% of them pass through the Green Line; the instrumentalisation of migration by Turkey and that in the last six years Cyprus has been the first country in terms of arrivals of illegal migrants in proportion to its population.

He also mentioned that the most powerful statistic is the fact that now 6% of Cyprus' population are asylum seekers or people who have already obtained asylum in Cyprus compared to other frontline countries, where the corresponding percentage is 1%.

Ioannou noted that all these documented statistics have been provided in order to prove with numbers the magnitude of the problem Cyprus is facing.He told the heads of the diplomatic missions that if something is not done in the coming months regarding the action plan, then Cyprus will be the next country to face a huge problem regarding migration.

Asked by a journalist whether there were voices of support or solidarity from ambassadors of countries facing a similar problem, the Interior Minister said that they were expressing their solidarity, but Cyprus was asking for this solidarity to be demonstrated in practice.

"I think that there is already a will, because as a country we are receiving both financial and technical assistance," Ioannou said, although the scale of the problem is exacerbated by the fact that there are no borders, as the green line is exploited by Turkey, which sends illegal migrants to Cyprus.

He also said that, according to Interior Ministry figures, 70% of the migrants are so-called students. In order to tackle this phenomenon, measures have been proposed, such as, for example, checking passengers at airports in Istanbul and Turkey, in order to check if they are really students, if they have all the necessary documents they need.

He added that Cyprus has also requested that the countries of origin of migrants be informed, because a large number of them are victims of exploitation, in the sense that they come to Cyprus with false representations, thinking that Cyprus is a Schengen country.

He added that Cyprus has requested that information be provided to the countries of origin of migrants, because a large number of them are victims of exploitation, in the sense that they come to Cyprus with false representations, thinking that Cyprus is a Schengen country. He said that through the Press and Information Office an information campaign will be launched through the use of social media in the countries of origin, but the assistance of the European Union has been requested so that a more comprehensive information campaign can be carried out.

Asked whether, apart from financial support, EU member states can assist Cyprus' efforts in other ways, Mr Ioannou referred to the voluntary relocation plan that exists, which was agreed during the French Presidency with President McCr. "It has been agreed that a number of around 1,600 people will be relocated from Cyprus to other countries of the European Union. This is already taking place. Around 500 people have already left, mainly in Germany and some in France. But we are also investing in the voluntary return scheme that exists in Cyprus, which is having very encouraging results. Indicatively, as we mentioned to the ambassadors, in these four months twice as many people have left voluntarily as in the same months last year. And our goal is to reach a number of around 800 to 1000 people, either voluntary returns or deportations per month, and we hope to reach our goal, if not in May, by next June."

Finally, in response to a question on whether the examination of applications is proceeding normally, the Minister said that examiners have already started work and almost double the number of applications are being examined. He also said that there has been a 60 per cent increase in the number of appeals being heard by the Administrative Court, following consultation and special arrangements, for which he thanked the President of the Supreme Court.

(EF/IS/EP)
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