Cyprus’ Interior Minister discusses migration issues in Athens
The Minister of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus, Konstantinos Ioannou, visited Athens on Tuesday, November 21, where he held a meeting with the Greek Minister of Immigration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis.
The meeting of the two Ministers focused on developments in the issue of migration and on the effort to introduce a European mechanism for promoting legal migration and granting targeted migration permits by sector.
In addition, migrant returns were also discussed, with emphasis on the need to conclude agreements between the European Union and third countries as soon as possible. “The aim of these agreements is to boost and increase returns, particularly from Eastern Mediterranean member states under pressure due to massive migratory flows,” the Cypriot Ministry of Interior says in a press release.
In this context, the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus to launch a consultation on the re-evaluation of the status of Syria and the designat
ion of specific areas as safe, in line with the assessment of the European Asylum Agency, was discussed.
Moreover, Minister Ioannou was informed by Minister Kairidis on the cooperation between Greece and Turkey on migration issues, in view of the meeting between the Greek Prime Minister and the Turkish President in Athens on 7 December
In addition, the two Ministers agreed on the necessity of implementing the parameters of the Eastern Mediterranean Action Plan, “the practical implementation of which will contribute to the more effective management of migration flows”, the Cypriot Ministry of Interior says.
Finally, Ioannou informed the Greek Minister of Immigration and Asylum about the ongoing processes for the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Immigration and Asylum in Cyprus, for which Kairidis conveyed his Ministry’s readiness to provide expertise and technical assistance.
After the meeting, the Cypriot Interior Minister paid a visit to the International Organization for Migration migrant facilit
ies, which temporarily host people who choose to return voluntarily to their countries. The Cypriot Interior Minister was informed about the procedures being followed, while ways of cooperation for the implementation of a similar program in Cyprus were also examined.
Source: Cyprus News Agency