Cyprus is not alone on migration issue, European Commission Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas assured here today, noting that Europe will support and help Cyprus and that steps will also be made towards Turkey, immediately after the Turkish elections “and with the Turkish Cypriot community” so that, everyone becomes jointly responsible for this great issue that Cyprus faces.
Schinas, who pays an official visit to Cyprus, met Monday afternoon Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou and then had a joint ministerial meeting attended by Ministers of Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, Education, Athena Michaelidou, Justice and Public Affairs Anna Koukkides-Prokopiou and Deputy Ministers of Social Welfare Marilena Evangelou and Culture Michalis Hatzigiannis.
Speaking to the Press after the meeting with Interior Minister, Schinas noted that the management of the issues of migration in Cyprus is not just a national priority for Cyprus, but also a major European issue for two very simple reasons, as he explained.
“Because Cyprus is one of the small member states and the disproportionately large pressure it receives creates specific problems, and secondly, because we have the particularity of the green line, which also poses issues of legal and political nature, which we must deal with efficiency, but also with creativity in thought and action,” he said.
The Vice-President of the European Commission welcomed the continuity and consistency which, as he said, both the outgoing and the current government of Cyprus show in managing the migration issue together with Europe and pointed out that there is no aspect of migration that is not connected directly with European assistance, European funding and European solidarity.
He further assured that the European support will continue and will intensify in the years to come, in all aspects: in the improvement of the Center in Pournara, in the creation of the new pre-departure Center in ‘Limnes’ with a total sum of approximately 100 million euros, but also in financing returns of those not entitled to international protection.
Noting that Cyprus is one of the most dynamic partners regarding return of those who do not have the right for asylum in the EU. Margaritis Schinas expressed hope that in the medium-long term there will be a national integration strategy, for which also EU assistance be decisive, as well as the transfer of refugee minors from the Pournara Center to special centers. where they will have better protection and security guarantees.
He further explained that he says all that to show that migration is not a lost cause, but is, as he said, ‘a cause that we can win by working as we have worked so far together in the framework of all these actions’. He added that the EU has a very important next step to take that is drawing up in a short period of time, an EU action plan for the Eastern Mediterranean and management of migration, a process in which, as he said, the Republic of Cyprus has submitted very useful proposals.
He noted that they are now in the final phase of processing these proposals and that the aim is for this action plan to have clear commitments for the causes generating migration flows in the countries of origin and transit and also to put forward a much more systematic effort with Turkey, immediately after Turkish elections, ‘but also with the Turkish Cypriot community, so that everyone becomes jointly responsible for this big issue that we are called to face here in Cyprus”.
Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou he said that he informed Schinas on the current situation, new facts and data, but also on new government policies on migration summing up on four main pillars.
The first pillar, as he said, is measures to prevent flows, mainly through Green Line. Noting that Green Line is not an external border of the EU, but a suis generis situation, Minister of the Interior explained that this is also the reason why the Republic of Cyprus is limited in terms of the measures it can apply internally to prevent illegal Green Line crossings, such as its surveillance by a Border Guard Unit and installation of electronic surveillance means.
He noted, however, that the Government invests at European level, in the Eastern Mediterranean Action Plan, and expressed hope that the positions of the Republic of Cyprus will be utilized in order, “to have tangible and substantial results on the issue of irregular migration from the Green Line, and this through a diplomatic approach towards Turkey, through the use of EU policies and tools”.
It is obvious, according to Interior Minister, that “Turkey instrumentalizes migration flows, and facilitates arrival of third country nationals in Cyprus”. As he explained, these irregular immigrants originate mainly from Sub-Saharan African countries and are usually holders of so-called student “visas”, while after enrolling in “colleges” in the occupied territories, they are then directed to the areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus.
The second pillar, he added, concerns acceleration of the procedures for examining asylum applications. On this the Minister expressed optimism that by doubling number of examiners, delays in the examination of asylum applications will be reduced to the minimum possible extent.
The third pillar concerns strengthening of infrastructure, a pillar for which, according to the Minister of the Interior, Cyprus receives a great deal of financial assistance from the EU. He noted that the construction of the Pre-departure Center in Menogia will contribute to a large extent to processing asylum procedures more efficiently but also accelerating returns.
The fourth pillar, the Minister of the Interior said, relates to reinforcement and increase of the returns of third-country nationals to their countries of origin. He added that the goal is to achieve a number that will approach or will exceed 1000 returns per month.
He also noted that they discussed with Margaritis Schinas the Government’s decision to create a Deputy Ministry of Immigration, as well as integration issues.
Addressing the Vice-President of the European Commission, the Minister of the Interior underlined that the Government’s goal is to mitigate the situation, “to cope with the immigration challenges, which unfortunately are turning into a major problem, due to the disproportionate numbers of immigrants we have to deal with”.
Stressing that the majority of applications for international protection in Cyprus are rejected (96% in 2022), Ioannou said that these numbers clearly show abuse of the asylum system by third-country nationals who do not have a valid reason to apply for international protection.
Our goal, he noted, is to overcome the barriers of increased flows and the large volume of unfounded applications, in order to achieve reception and integration of refugees who are in real need of support and protection.
At the same time, he expressed the hope that EU member states will achieve a comprehensive agreement with the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, which should, as he said, be based on substantial solidarity between states with an equal distribution of responsibility.
Finally, he expressed gratitude towards EU organizations and, in particular, to the European Commission, for the support they provide to Cyprus – especially recently, as he said, but also for the impeccable cooperation that has been developed aiming to manage migration flows in Cyprus.
Source: Cyprus News Agency