Cyprus and Greece to have closer cooperation on immigration issue

The Cyprus Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the Greek Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy have decided to proceed to the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation for the coordination of policies and the closer cooperation of the two countries as regards the problem of immigration. Cypriot Minister Marios Hartsiotis and Christos Stylianides, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy of Greece, held a meeting on Wednesday at the Ministry of Justice in Nicosia in the presence of Greek Ambassador to Cyprus Ioannis Papameletiou and Chief of Police Stelios Papatheodorou. Stylianides said that the meeting focused on immigration, adding that "we have decided as soon as possible to proceed and give a solid basis to this cooperation to sign a Memorandum between the two Ministries, between the security forces we represent so that this excellent cooperation between Greece and Cyprus has even more practical value and importance." The Cypriot Minister said they discussed issues concerning the two Ministries noting that they placed an emphasis on immigration. "It is an issue that particularly concerns the Greek Government and the Cypriot Government," he said, adding that within the context for joint actions, they have decided on some further steps for an even closer cooperation on the immigration issue. He also said that they expect to have the best possible results. Source: Cyprus News Agency