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The management of migratory flows was discussed today between Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou and the President of the Democratic Party (D.K.O.) Nicolas Papadopoulos, at a meeting held this morning at the Ministry of Interior.
The Interior Minister, in statements to reporters after the meeting, said he was briefed on the complex, as he described it, problem.
The minister said it is an issue with many dimensions and no easy solutions and that "as a government we have a specific plan, a specific strategy."
We are seeing the first results, he said. "I have repeatedly mentioned that there is a cautious optimism," he noted, adding that a 50% reduction in flows has been achieved, due to the measures taken, but also due to exogenous factors.
Referring to the return of migrants to their countries of origin, the Minister said that in this area too, an increase of 50% has been achieved, from 3.200 to 4,700, whether voluntary or forced returns.
Speaking about the measures taken by the Ministry of Interior regarding the management of the migration issue, he said, among other things, that the infrastructure is being upgraded, while the number of examiners has been doubled, which was a pre-election commitment of President Christodoulides.
"Currently, the examination time has been reduced from nine months to three months," he said, noting that the aim is to reduce the financial benefits of asylum seekers, "so that we make Cyprus an unattractive destination."
He also explained that when asylum seekers' applications are rejected at three months, benefits and the right to work are stopped, stressing that this is a factor for the now illegal migrant to leave Cyprus.
Referring to the latest developments in Libya, the Minister spoke about the caution created by external factors when it comes to migratory flows. "You see what has been happening in the last few days in Italy: 7,000 migrants in 24 hours. There is an increase in migration flows both in Greece and in other countries," the Interior Minister said.
Referring to arrivals from neighbouring countries, such as Syria or Lebanon, Ioannou explained that for Syrians, "because of the special status, we cannot reject applications or carry out deportations." This, he explained, is an issue that is not easy to deal with. "But we are moving forward. We are ready," the Minister said in this regard.
He went on to say that during his meeting with the President of the IAC, some problems related to the migration issue were also discussed, and the IAC expressed willingness to take initiatives in helping to solve them.
Asked then about the flows from the Eastern Mediterranean, the Minister said that after his trip to Lebanon, there is a strengthening of the already good relations that existed between the two countries. Because of the very good cooperation that we have developed, he said, there is an exchange of information, and an effort is being made by Lebanon and many boats are being cut off from coming to Cyprus. He informed that another boat has been cut off yesterday, which was carrying 50 people.
The Minister added that the information he has from the Lebanese authorities is that there is an increase in the number of Syrians entering the country, referring to 2.5 million Syrians.
This is why, he noted, in a letter to EU Vice President Margaritis Schinas, he has requested that the issue of providing assistance to Lebanon as a barrier to migratory flows to Europe be raised urgently.
"If Lebanon collapses, then all of Europe will be in trouble," the Interior Minister said. "We believe as Cyprus and we find fertile ground with other member states that the status of Syria should be reassessed. There are already, according to a report by the European Asylum Agency (EUAA), two areas that are considered safe, which he said should be recognised at the level of the European Union."
This will allow Syrian nationals to return back to the country, he added, "something that at the moment no country has achieved. "We will try to push on this as well," he reiterated, and informed that he was planning a trip to Geneva to meet with the UNHCR, focusing his efforts on this part as well.
Asked to report on the status of the Action Plan for the Eastern Mediterranean, he said that some of its provisions are already being implemented informally and that his information is that around the end of October - during the next Council of Interior Ministers - it is expected to be put to a vote.
In his own remarks, after thanking the Minister of Interior for today's meeting, the President of the D.I.C. said that migration is a big, serious and real problem. It is, he added, "one of the most serious that the Cypriot state has to face, with chained economic and social consequences, especially in communities that have to accommodate a large number of migrants."
" Unfortunately, the scenes of organized violence and intimidation that we have experienced in the past few days outrage and shock the Cypriot society, but also shame us internationally," Papadopoulos said.
"Alas, if the conclusion of the Cypriot society is that this problem will be solved by violence," he said, adding that violence is not the solution to this problem.After welcoming the initiatives of the Ministry of Interior to manage the migration issue, he said that "the measures taken in these first six months of the government of Nicos Christodoulides have already produced concrete results". He noted that deportations and returns have increased by 50%. The processing time of applications has been reduced to three months, he said, noting that for the first time in the course of the migration issue in Cyprus, the number of migrants leaving outnumbers those coming in.
Data show that the percentage of beneficiaries and applicants for political asylum has dropped from 6 percent to close to 5 percent of the total population, he said, citing a successful policy on deportations and returns. "In our view, this policy should continue," he added, noting that it should be strengthened with the creation of the Deputy Ministry of Immigration, which is one of the priorities of the Nicos Christodoulides administration. He then called on all political forces to work together to examine and pass the relevant bill as soon as possible, while expressing confidence that its creation will strengthen, among other things, the policy of returns and deportations.
In conclusion, he said that they have also listened to the problems and needs of the infrastructure in the field of migration and said that they are ready to help to increase the number of accommodation facilities as soon as possible, as well as the permanent infrastructure that the country must have to deal with the migration problem.
(EFYs/NG/SX)
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