Nicosia: Solidarity with frontline states must be tangible, Cyprus' Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, Nicholas Ioannides, emphasized during an informal videoconference of EU Interior and Migration Ministers. The meeting, held under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU, focused on recent developments in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Deputy Ministry of Migration announced that during the videoconference, Ministers exchanged views on the situation in Ceuta. This area holds a special status within the Schengen Area, characterized by stricter controls. The discussions highlighted the challenges in managing migratory flows, protecting external borders, and formulating the EU's collective response to serious migratory pressures.
The Deputy Minister expressed Cyprus' solidarity with Spain, praising its swift crisis management. He reiterated Cyprus' position that challenges of this magnitude require a coordinated and collective EU approach. "Today's developments once again demonstrate the need for a common, coordinated, and effective European response. Solidarity with frontline member states must be tangible and must translate promptly into concrete support," Ioannides stated.
He further stressed the importance of utilizing the EU's crisis-response tools, as outlined in the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. He highlighted the need to protect the EU's external borders to counter the instrumentalization of migration and the activities of smugglers. Ioannides reiterated Cyprus's stance that efforts to combat smuggling networks at the European level must be intensified.
In conclusion, Ioannides emphasized that the EU and its member states must enhance cooperation with third countries of origin and/or transit for irregular migrants.