02/02/2022 09:54
For the first time Cyprus and the EU have signed an agreement on the return of migrants, while a Memorandum of Understanding including all actions for the successful management of migration is expected to be signed soon.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday in Nicosia by Interior Minister Nicos Nouris and EU Deputy Director-General in charge of the “Task Force Migration Management” in DG Migration and Home Affairs, Beate Gminder.
Gminder said that the EU acknowledges that Cyprus is under enormous pressure of asylum seekers and migrants and that the EU should and will support the country in dealing with this challenge.
In statements Nouris stressed that Cyprus looks forward to a more effective support for managing the situation and once again pointed out that Turkey is responsible for a flow of illegal immigrants through the green line and for that reason it was necessary to place natural barriers there.
Referring to numbers, Nouris said that in 2021 13,200 new asylum applications have been submitted, with 85% of them coming through the Turkish occupied territories of Cyprus and through the green line.
"We have managed to examine and process 16,500 applications, which proves the effectiveness of the asylum system we have built, and we have given almost 13,000 rejections," he added.
Saying that at the start of 2022 that the numbers were overwhelming, he added that Cyprus has had 1,335 new asylum seekers, which is almost twice as many as in the corresponding month in 2020. The new applicants, he noted originate mostly from sub-Saharan Africa and especially from Congo. All the migrants, he went on to say, come from Turkey, either from Istanbul airport to the illegal airport of Turkish occupied Tymbou or from the coast and they all arrive in Cyprus Republic through the green line.
"We will continue the effort in order for the EU to demand from Turkey the implementation of the agreements as with the other Member States," he said. He added that there’s a need to manage the green line and that stems from the fact that Turkey, by instrumentalizing immigration, is sending all these people into the Republic of Cyprus.
The Minister said that in the agreement clear standardised return procedures were finalised with the involvement of various organisations such as Frontex and EASO. He added that the request for financial assistance for the new reception centre in Limnes and the upgrading of the existing one as well as the problems of overpopulation in Pournara, were also discussed.
He added that indicative of the support of the EU on the matter is the forthcoming visit of the head of Frontex and Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas.
On her part, the European official said that she had the opportunity to discuss future and current cooperation between the two sides, stressing that the EU acknowledges that Cyprus was under enormous pressure of asylum seekers and migrants and that the EU should and will support the country in dealing with the challenge.
She also said that they acknowledge at European level that Cyprus already has an efficient system in dealing with arrivals and an assessment of vulnerability which then results in the decision on whether to accept an application or reject it.
“We have been focusing in the past month on cooperation returns, we are very happy that we are today approving the procedure for joint return operations between the EU and Cyprus, this is a joint activity that will enhance and the other member states will help too,” she said.
She added that they also see the need to increase the reception capacities in Cyprus and EU and will support the Minister and the Republic in increasing those.
At the same time, she said that they have agreed on working on a memorandum of understanding with an action plan that will also entail the additional funding to support reception centre in Limnes and she expressed the hope that this can be done quickly.
We also see the need and we will continue to work together on averting people from departing because often people are misled by the promises made to them that they are not clear what this journey entails with all the risks and difficulties and with the disappointment at the end because this journey is not what it was meant to be so countering smuggling activities and also informing people that they are not moving in what they had been promised, she added.
Replying to a question about the situation with Turkey and the fact that in Belarus there are other stricter measures for illegal migrants, the EU official said that “we all know that the situation in Belarus was generated very actively with a specific number of people and most of them who came to Minsk were from north Iraq and there was a specific smuggling activity taking place. I think that what we have learned from that is that the EU is very good and if it works together can also prevent departures”, she said.
Gminder went on to say that they were very actively cooperating with Iraq and other countries that departures to Minsk will not happen any longer and they also work with airlines.
In relation to Turkey she said that they have been very active with Turkey, adding there were obligations that Turkey is not been delivering mainly with visa liberalization and that discussions are ongoing.
Turkey, she finally said, “is a very different partner than Belarus but a very important partner and we have been addressing these questions that concern you.”