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The Minister of Interior Mr. Ioannou was speaking on the sidelines of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's visit to the Reception and Accommodation Centre for Applicants for International Protection (KIFADP) in Kofinou and subsequently in Lefkara.
Difficult situation inside Lebanon - Continuous communication with the authorities of the country for cooperation
Asked if there is any dissatisfaction on the Cypriot side with Lebanon's refusal yesterday to accept the return of 116 Syrian migrants found in international territorial waters after sailing from Lebanon, Mr. Ioannou explained that, following information from the Lebanese authorities themselves that the boat - which is registered in the Lebanese registry - had sailed and might be in danger, the Cypriot authorities carried out a search and rescue operation. Subsequently, contact was made with Lebanon for the return of these persons to Lebanon, followed by an operation accompanied by three vessels of the Port Police. When the vessels approached Lebanon, they were informed that they would not be allowed to disembark.
Asked whether he believed this was a consequence of the political situation in the Middle East, Mr Ioannou said it was a consequence of many factors. He reiterated that Lebanon has a very big problem with migration and stressed that the whole issue would be handled at the political level. He also noted that there is constant communication with the Lebanese authorities, saying that the situation in the country is difficult.
The Government will implement in full the legislation on Local Government as passed by the Parliament
Next, asked about the issue of Local Government reform and the debate that has been going on in the public sphere in recent days, the Minister made it clear that the Government had identified the problems since taking office. He said, "We have mentioned these problems many times. I personally in my presence in the House of Representatives as well as in my public interventions. So what is being said as to why this issue has come up now is not true. For months now, we have been mentioning the specific problems that we have identified in the legislation.
For example, the fact that the mergers of municipalities were made without in some cases taking into account the geographical, economic and demographic data in particular, creates a problem in the sense that some municipalities will not be able to offer the same services and have the same benefits from the reform, so they will not be as viable as other municipalities. I have been mentioning this for months."
Continuing, Ioannou also expressed concern about the excessive number of Deputy Mayors, the salary of Deputy Mayors, the dysfunction that the decision to elect the President of the Provincial Self-Government Organization will cause, when this was not the provision from the beginning.
"In any case, I want to emphasize something. We want to be honest and truthful to the people. So we have to inform people about the problems. We ought to let people know that some citizens will not get the benefits of the reform like others. I also want to mention that certainly the legislation as passed is not the ideal, but it is much better than the model that exists now."
He assured, however, of the commitment of the government and the Interior Ministry in particular to the effort to implement the reform. "We will implement in full the legislation as passed by Parliament. We are at the disposal of the legislature and I have already spoken with Aristos Damianos (Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Interior), with whom I have an excellent cooperation and we will meet in the coming days to look at the issues and problems. There is a willingness from the Parliament," he said, explaining that no amendments can be made now, although an effort was made last May to make some changes. "It was not accepted by some parties, not all parties. So what is being attributed to the government that they did not do something, we took action, that is on record, but that is in the past. We are here, committed, to enforce the law. Any problems that arise along the way after the election, with goodwill, we will resolve them for the benefit of the public. At the end of the day, we are all working and we have a common goal to improve the daily life of citizens."
But equally importantly, "the implementation of the reform, as passed, is in the hands of the Local Authorities. That is, it is the Mayors themselves who are called upon to implement it. It is not the Ministry of Interior that is currently called upon to implement the reform. The Provisional Councils, as they have been formed, are made up of Mayors. It has been identified that some are at a more advanced stage, some are not. There are given problems. For example, it is unthinkable that four months before the implementation of the legislation, only the Nicosia Provisional Council has found accommodation for the District Council. The Ministry of the Interior does not have the tools to enforce anything. I cannot, as Home Secretary, impose on a person in the Councils who has to rent. That is up to them." He also indicated that the role of the Ministry of Home Affairs is coordinating and supporting. "We are with the Municipal Authorities, with the Mayors, to help them. Whether it concerns the "EYAGORAS" system, where problems may arise there as well, or the organizational charts, or it concerns their budgets," Ioannou explained.
"In conclusion, I want to convey a message to the Local Authorities. We need to step up our game. We are here to help. At the end of the day, we have to start this reform with the least possible problems. They've done reforms before. I was responsible for the biggest reform at the time. Three months before the GHS started, we had no pediatricians in the GHS. It started with some problems, we are improving it so that everyone can have the benefits that are there."
Asked if there is a possibility that when the reform is implemented, some municipalities will not survive, the Interior Minister clarified that there is no question of survival and reiterated that in some cases, some municipalities will not have the benefits of the reform. Citing as an example cases where municipalities left with the same or slightly increased demographics will not have the same benefits as other municipalities. "The reform is being done to merge municipalities and through the mergers to increase the population, to have economies of scale. When a municipality stays small, there will be no economies of scale, so the citizens of that municipality will not benefit from the advantages of the reform and will not be sustainable under the reform," he said.
German President's positive impression of Cyprus' migration policy
In connection with the German President's visit today to the Reception and Accommodation Centre for Applicants for International Protection, the Interior Minister conveyed the positive impression that Mr Steinmeier made during his visit to the Centre's premises about the good organisation and the way the Centre operates. "At the moment there are about 400 migrants, 80 children. There is cooperation with the local school and lessons are held on a daily basis in Greek. Some children stay for a few weeks. Now with the acceleration of the examination procedures, they are either approved or rejected in a very short period of time," Ioannou said, noting that Greek language classes start from day one as part of the children's integration. He added that other social and recreational activities, such as dancing, are offered with the contribution of NGOs and volunteer groups active at the centre.
Asked if the President of Germany was also briefed on his country's policy on migration, the minister said the discussion and interest was mainly focused on informing President Steinmeier about the measures and management of Cyprus. According to the Minister, Mr Steinmeier was briefed on the measures implemented by the Government and in particular on the results of these actions. "The fact that in 2023, we had a significant reduction of almost 50% in the number of asylum seekers and an equally significant increase in returns. Germany is one of the countries that helps with relocations to third countries. It has accepted 1,000 of the 1,800 people who have been voluntarily relocated to third countries in the European Union. 1,029 have gone to Germany, and we thank him for that. We hope for even higher numbers in the future and we explained to him how the system of voluntary departure and deportation works," Ioannou said. In this context, the German President expressed the wish to increase this number.
Despite the significant assistance provided by Germany, the Interior Minister reiterated the position of the Republic of Cyprus that more needs to be done beyond technical and financial assistance, especially on the issue of the reassessment of the Syrian regime. "For us it is very important to start a discussion on the reassessment of the Syrian regime, because we also see what is happening in recent days, where we have constant arrivals by boats from Syria and we do not have the weapons or the equipment to be able to prevent these flows," he said. Minister.
(MKυ)
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