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- Ελληνικά
President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Christodoulides described as a positive development the Pact on Migration and Asylum approved yesterday by the European Parliament.
In his statements to journalists, arriving this afternoon at the offices of the Cyprus Employers & Industrialists Federation (CBI), invited to refer to the adoption of the Pact on Immigration and Asylum, the President of the Republic said that it is a positive development, adding, however: "I have of course heard statements from some leaders of the European Council that they will not apply it in their own case."
We would clearly like more, especially in terms of relocations, at the moment they are voluntary. We wanted them to be compulsory. But beyond that it is a positive step, I must acknowledge that.
We are not limited to this, we have cooperation with other states. The Minister of Interior has also gone to Denmark, to the Czech Republic, I am in contact with other European Union (EU) counterparts, for example, with Italy, Greece, so that we can start the discussion to designate - not because we want it, but because it is a fact - some areas in Syria as safe areas.
There are reactions from some Member States, some big EU Member States, but, I repeat, the need to designate these areas [AS SAFE] arises from the facts that exist in the country at the moment. And I think that only through such decisions we will be able to address this issue.
Today I had a telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, following the meeting we had.
I informed him about the contacts I had at EU level. We also looked at some dates in relation to my visit there with the President of the European Commission and I hope to make some concrete announcements soon.
Next week I will be in Brussels, preceded by a visit to London, to have contacts with foreign investors interested in investing in our country. Then I will be at the European Council with several issues, such as Syria and Euro-Turkey.
You understand that it is a week in which there will be several developments.
We are discussing, there is a draft, the second draft is expected to be released, and it is a good discussion at the level of the Permanent Representatives Committee.
I am glad that several states supported our approach and I hope that there will be a positive outcome. We will see, it is still early days. Discussions are taking place at this stage at the Permanent Representatives level."
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