[PIO] The Minister of Interior had contacts with the Lebanese political leadership on maritime migration flows from the Eastern Mediterranean

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou travelled to Lebanon last night for contacts with the political leadership and the competent authorities of the country, in order to find solutions to deal with the maritime migration flows coming from the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Minister held successive meetings this morning with the Prime Minister of Lebanon Mr. Najib Azmi Mikati, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi, the Secretary General of the Supreme Defence Council Major General Muhammad Al-Mustafa, and the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces General Joseph Aoun, as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between Cyprus and Lebanon in preventing irregular migration from the Eastern Mediterranean.

During his meeting with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the Interior Minister, after referring to the long-standing relations of friendship and the close ties that link the two countries, expressed his gratitude for the willingness of the Government of Lebanon to enhance their cooperation on issues related to the management of migration challenges.

Ioannou informed the Prime Minister that there has been an increase in irregular arrivals by sea over the last two months of people coming from the Eastern Mediterranean. As a direct reaction to the observed increasing trend, the Minister of Interior stressed the need to find solutions to curb the methods used by the circuits, which shift irregular flows to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, endangering human lives.

For his part, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Mr. Najib Azmi Mikati, expressed the willingness of his Government to contribute to the coordination of efforts between the two countries to prevent illegal arrivals to the Republic of Cyprus.

In the context of the common recognition of the need for more effective management of the migration issue, it was agreed, inter alia, to establish a working group at a technical level, composed of officials from both countries, to coordinate and take measures towards the management of migration flows.

At the same time, it was decided to establish a network of Lebanese-Cypriot contact points at the operational level for the exchange of information and closer cooperation in terms of preventing irregular flows, such as joint patrols. The first meeting of the representatives of the competent police services who accompanied the Minister together with their counterparts took place.

Mr. Ioannou, finally, pledged to convey to the EU level the need for substantial financial and operational support to Lebanon, as a third country, which assumes a significant burden for the reception and hosting of a large number of refugees.

(EFYs/NG/SX)
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