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- Ελληνικά
Interior Minister Nikos Nouris had a meeting with the President of the Democratic Party (D.K.O.) Mr. Nikola Papadopoulos and a delegation of the party on migration at the Ministry of Interior.
The Interior Minister, in his statements to journalists after the meeting, said that today, an effort by the Ministry of Interior was launched with the D.K.O. to inform all parliamentary parties about the current situation regarding the migration issue, the infrastructure, the efforts being made to deal with the flows arriving in the Republic, as well as the great efforts being made on the issue of returns.
Referring to the issue of returns, he said that it is one of the most important issues on which there is a clear emphasis, saying that the aim of these meetings is for the parliamentary parties to submit suggestions and views to strengthen the effort. "Because immigration is not a matter for either the Minister of Interior or this Government. It is a national issue and we treat it as such," he said.
He added that he has informed the President of the D.I.C. about the recent agreements and memoranda signed between Cyprus and the EU, as well as with the various other EU agencies. The aim, Mr. Nouris said, is "a holistic briefing of the parliamentary parties so that there are no questions about the way in which we do business"
He noted that addressing the issue consists of two main pillars.
The first, he noted, is the issue of the surveillance of the Green Line, through which, he said, "the vast majority of the inflows, all without exception, come from Turkey, which systematically instrumentalizes the migration issue."
The second pillar, he continued, "is to maximize the number of returns."
Referring to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding the day before yesterday between the Republic of Cyprus and the European Commission, he said that "it also includes the capital issue of returns."
"Before we even proceed to the activation and utilization of the provisions of this Memorandum, we are not complacent in the Ministry of Interior and we have already managed to return 388 persons to a number of countries since January 1 to date."
We consider, the Minister stressed, that "this constitutes an indication of our will to adopt what we have said and put into practice: the possibility of maximising returns."
He announced that 85 persons have been returned to India, 43 to Congo, 34 to Bangladesh, 31 to Cameroon, 25 to Nigeria, 21 to Iran and many others.
"388 in total in 40 days," he said."
"Our aim is, for those whose applications are found to be manifestly unfounded, to move forward with returns," the minister said.
He noted that he has asked the President of DIKO for the assistance of the party and himself personally at the diplomatic level, in order to help the Republic of Cyprus, to open channels of communication with those third countries that currently do not have the possibility, "in order to maximise the number of returns". He added that he will ask this from the other parliamentary parties in his contacts.
On the green line, he said that he informed on how to proceed on the issue of the best possible management in order, as he said, to stop or limit this very large number of flows.
For his part, the President of the Democratic Party of Cyprus, in his statements, said that migration is one of the biggest problems facing the Cypriot state at the moment. It has social, economic and national security implications, he said.
He noted that "we are a country that knows what refugeeism means" and added that "we want to offer support and hospitality to genuine asylum seekers."
"This position is a principled position and remains firm. But equally important is the recognition that at the moment Cyprus is facing the biggest problem in the EU in terms of population and we know that too many are currently abusing the system in order to serve economic interests."
"We credit the Minister of Interior with making huge efforts to tackle this problem and we assure him that we will continue to show the same constructive attitude that we have shown in the past to help the people of Cyprus and the people of Cyprus."
"We believe that we will continue to show the same constructive attitude that we have shown in the past in order to help the people of Cyprus."
"We will continue to show the same constructive attitude that we have shown in the past in order to help the people of Cyprus."
"We will continue to show the same constructive attitude that we have shown in the past to help the people of Cyprus. Despite the initiatives and steps taken in the right direction, the problem has not been addressed to the extent it should have been, the I.C.O. President said.
In conclusion, Papadopoulos said that on the one hand we have to offer services to genuine applicants for political asylum, to comply with the relevant European directives, but also with the suggestions of the United Nations, and on the other hand to protect the Cypriot taxpayer's money from possible abuses.
Asked what are the next steps in relation to the Memorandum, what will happen with the Accommodation Centres and whether the Pournara First Reception Centre will be enlarged, the Minister stressed that it is not the intention to make Cyprus a gathering place, a big accommodation centre.
"Our intention is to minimise the inflows and increase the outflows so that the numbers return to the pre-crisis figures", explaining that the aim is for Pournara to accommodate 500-1000 people, which is its appropriate capacity, and not 2500 which is currently the case.
He said that the resources spent are huge to provide the best possible human conditions for those who have arrived.
It is something that is being done every day and no additional planning will be needed, he said. "It is a humanitarian issue, which we are addressing and managing in this way," he added.
He noted that in the presence of Margaritis Schinas, the EU Vice President, a now clear policy has been structured and "we have secured the support of the EU."
Nevertheless, he added that the problems are there, and they are many, and referred to demography and security. He said many agencies in the Republic are involved in managing the problem, adding that everything humanly possible will be done to limit it.
The big, overarching goal, he said, is that the proportion of asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in Cyprus should not exceed the proportion of other frontline member states in terms of population.
Greece, Spain, Italy and Malta "have a rate of less than 1%, while in our country it is 4.6% with an unfortunately increasing trend", the Minister said.
Asked whether he is concerned about developments in Ukraine and whether he thinks they will reduce interest in Cyprus, the Minister replied that "clearly the Ukrainian issue concerns us and the whole community". Cyprus faces many challenges from a potential Ukrainian crisis, apart from humanitarian capital.
He informed that some inquiring tendencies and intentions of some companies based in Ukraine to transfer their activities to the Republic of Cyprus have been expressed to the Ministry of Interior. "So we are ready to welcome any people who might want to move," he added.
If the EU proceeds with sanctions against Russia, Cyprus, he noted, should be a participant in this process with all that this implies.
"So it is something that we are addressing and I would hope that Mr. I hope that the hope of Schinas, who said that we will exhaust every possibility as the EU in order not to reach the undesirable scenario of conflict, will come true."
When asked by a journalist that Cyprus is a popular destination for Ukrainians and whether there are any preparations for receiving refugees, the Minister informed that there is understanding and cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Especially for those who will move with the intention of staying for work, separate permits will be issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiev, while the Ministry of Interior will issue relevant permits to the beneficiaries upon arrival at Larnaca airport.
(EFYs)
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