More asylum seekers departed from the Republic of Cyprus to France, through the voluntary relocation programme on Wednesday, announced the Ministry of Interior. At the same time, in the last quarter more migrants left the country than those who arrived. According to the Ministry of Interior, an additional 51 asylum applicants were resettled within the framework of cooperation between the Ministry of Interior and the French authorities, with the support of the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The Ministry added that transfers of individuals through this programme, which aims to support frontline member states facing increased migration challenges, will continue in the coming period. The next flight is expected to take off on July 19th, from Cyprus to Norway, where around 40 individuals are expected to be transported. At the same time, the Ministry of Interior announced that the number of departures of migrants from Cyprus continues in parallel with the number of arrivals. It said "for the first time in many years, as a result of coordinated actions and measures taken recently, the total number of migrants leaving Cyprus is higher than the total number of migrants entering. Specifically, in the last quarter from April to June 2023, while 2,381 asylum applications were submitted, 2,714 migrants left Cyprus (through voluntary relocation programmes to other member states, voluntary returns, or deportation to their country of origin). Regarding June, 735 asylum applications were submitted, while 926 third-country nationals left Cyprus (through voluntary relocation programmes to other member states, voluntary returns, or deportation to their country of origin).
Source: Cyprus News Agency