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Statements on the migration issue and the project for the construction of affordable housing in Limassol by the CMAA were made today by Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, on the sidelines of the regional meeting with the communities of the Paphos District.
Asked if the measures and decisions taken by the Government in relation to the issue that Paphos is facing with the migration issue, the Interior Minister said that the Ministry is dealing with the migration issue in its entirety. As he noted, this is an issue that concerns the whole of Cyprus, not only the Paphos District, despite the particular problems observed in Paphos. There has been a 50% reduction in irregular migrant arrivals, from 12,000 in the same period last year to less than 6,000 this year. This is due to the actions we have taken, but also to external factors," Ioannou said. He expressed cautious optimism because, as he explained, "with migration anything can be changed by exogenous factors at any time. "Returns are also very important. We have increased returns by 50%, from 3,200 to 4,800. For the first time in the history of migration in Cyprus in the last four months more people have left than have arrived," he said.
At the same time, referring to other measures being taken, the minister noted that facilities are being upgraded with renovations at the Pournara First Reception Centre. He added that one of the problems at the moment is the lack of detention facilities, saying that at the moment we have a capacity for 126 people and the construction of the new pre-removal centre, with a capacity of 800 people, has started, which is expected to be of great help.
In addition, the procedures for examining asylum applications have been speeded up from more than nine months to three, making Cyprus an unattractive destination. "We have already taken a number of actions, hoping that the situation will improve and we are already seeing the results," he said.
In relation to arrivals from Syria, the Interior Minister said it is a big issue for Cyprus as Syria is considered an unsafe country and therefore no country in the world can deport Syrians. "There is this increased flow of boats (with Syrians) from Lebanon. There is cooperation with Lebanon, but some boats are also coming from Syria, which is why I have put the request to the European Union to start a discussion to review the status of Syria. There are areas that are already considered by the European Asylum Agency as safe areas. As Cyprus, I believe that these areas should be reviewed with the aim of officially recognising these areas as safe, so that there and where permitted we can proceed with the return of Syrians to their country," Ioannou said.
Asked about the project to build affordable housing by the CMOA in the Limassol Municipality, the Interior Minister reiterated that the project will be carried out, clarifying that there was a misjudgment of events in the summer, when a proposal was submitted by the CMOA for the construction of the houses at a cost of 20 million euros. For this reason, the COAG was asked to submit a comprehensive plan for all the actions being launched and not piecemeal for the case of Limassol. The integrated plan submitted by the CMOA with a series of actions includes the specific one for the construction of apartment buildings in Limassol, which was included and is a key pillar of the housing policy to be announced in the coming period, Mr.
(MQY)
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