The immigration problem and the significant number of Indian citizens who are currently residing illegally in the Republic of Cyprus, were discussed during a meeting held in New Delhi between Minister of the Interior Nicos Nouris and Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for immigration issues of India Shri Nityanand Rai.
According to a press release by the Cyprus Ministry of Interior in the framework of the 3rd Ministerial Conference on Combating the Financing of Terrorism, Nouris held an official meeting on Friday with Shri Nityanand Rai during which they reaffirmed the strong ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
During the meeting, the Cypriot Minister informed the Indian Deputy Minister about the immigration problem that Cyprus is facing and also about the significant number of Indian nationals who are currently residing illegally in the Republic, underlining the necessity of concluding an agreement on the readmission of persons residing illegally in the two countries, which the Republic of Cyprus has already submitted to the Government of India.
Moreover, with the aim of combating illegal immigration and creating a legal immigration mechanism, Nouris proposed a series of measures, among which the establishment of a liaison officer of the Government of India in Cyprus for a direct and close cooperation with the Cypriot police to deal with the phenomenon of fake documents, fake certifications, trafficking and exploitation of persons, as well as the fight against drug trafficking.
The Indian Deputy Minister expressed the strong will of the Government of India for cooperation in the above areas, expressing readiness to discuss and reach a mutually beneficial cooperation agreement. The press release says that the Indian official’s position in principle was a positive one regarding the proposal to establish an officer liaison in Cyprus.
The Minister of Interior extended an official invitation to the Indian official to visit Cyprus before the end of the year in order to sign the agreement that the two countries will reach, the press release concludes.
Source: Cyprus News Agency