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"We are in a crisis situation on the migration issue", President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Christodoulides said tonight.Earlier in the day, he contacted the President of the European Commission asking for her intervention to stop the flow of irregular Syrian migrants from Lebanon.
In his statements to journalists, coming to an event of the Anorthosis Famagusta Association on the occasion of the anniversaries of March 25 and April 1, in Larnaca, and asked about the telephone conversation he had tonight with the President of the European Commission Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the Republic said: "I have indeed just spoken with the President of the Commission with the sole topic of discussion being the increased flows of Syrian migrants from Lebanon.
As you know, the European Union (EU) provides significant financial assistance to Lebanon both for the country itself and for the fact that it hosts Syrian migrants. I have asked the President of the Commission to contact the Lebanese authorities herself. This aid cannot be given and we cannot have this kind of phenomenon.
At the same time, there is a desire - I have already mentioned this on the occasion of the visit to Egypt - on the part of the EU to help Lebanon even more financially.
In order for this to happen, Lebanon must at the same time not allow migrants to leave and come to Cyprus.
We are in a crisis situation with regard to migration. Significant work has been done internally. For the first time more people are being deported than are coming. I am referring to illegal and irregular migrants, I am not talking about those who need international protection, but the Republic of Cyprus cannot continue with this situation.
Internally we have done everything that needed to be done in order to control the situation. The problem that arises is externally with these behaviours, which is why I have asked for the personal intervention of the President of the Commission.
At the same time and following the internal meeting that we had today, as I mentioned, we are in a crisis situation and it is possible that some decisions will be taken internally that will not be pleasant, but will be transitional decisions so that we can deal to a significant extent with this crisis that we are experiencing at the moment.
So, I also ask for your understanding if the need arises to take some decisions in a transitional period. They will not be unpalatable, but they will be beneficial in the long run to address the migration issue."
Asked to elaborate further on these decisions, the President said: "I hope that no facts arise that force our hand. But we ought to be ready, to act proactively. It is part of the decisions we have taken today. I hope it will not be necessary, but if it is necessary, I repeat, we will take decisions that may not be liked. They are decisions that will be of a transitional nature for some time, so that we can deal with the problem."
In response to a reporter's remark that information indicates that three other boats with irregular migrants are already on their way to Cyprus, the President of the Republic said: "That is why I have asked what I have asked the Commission itself. It is the responsibility of the Government of Lebanon not to allow the migrants to descend to Cyprus. Lebanon receives considerable aid from the EU both for its nationals and for migrants, and at the same time there is a desire to give more. This is conditional. It is not only the Republic of Cyprus, it is the EU itself that is facing a serious problem with the phenomena we have seen in recent days."
Asked about the content of the meeting he had this afternoon with Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, the President of the Republic said: "We have common goals, we have common objectives with the Greek Government with regard to the need to resume talks."
There is an ongoing effort by the Secretary General (SG) and there is personal interest from him. It is in this context that the meeting took place, the exchange of views on specific steps, steps, so that we can achieve our goal."
Asked about the deadly attack by Israelis against workers of the World Central Kitchen (WCK), which was condemned by the international community, the President of the Republic said: "We too condemned from the very first moment what happened. There is absolutely no excuse for such a development. Beyond that, the humanitarian needs in Gaza are there and our efforts are of course continuing. Today, in the context of my presence in Larnaca, I had the opportunity to talk to US military officials who are in Cyprus, in relation to the preparations that are being made for a temporary port in Gaza.
I am glad because these efforts are at an advanced stage. We are also in contact with the Israeli Government, we have expressed our dissatisfaction with what has happened. We are also in contact with the humanitarian organization and I hope that humanitarian aid will soon increase, as is the goal."
Asked to comment on Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar's new provocative statements, the President said: "I am not going to comment on Mr. Tatar in public. We are not going to solve the Cyprus problem through public statements. He has a meeting with the UN Secretary General in the next few days, a meeting that we welcome and hopefully he will respond to the call of the Secretary General."
"We will see how things develop and we will be here to take a stand," the President concluded.
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