Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, is travelling to Rome on Sunday, following an invitation from Italy's Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to participate in the International Conference on Migration and Development, Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, announced on Saturday in a written statement.
According to Letymbiotis, the focal point of the discussion at the Conference, 'which is an initiative of the Italian Prime Minister', will be the migration issue. Participants include leaders of Mediterranean EU member states, and of other states of the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Africa, as well as international organisations and financial institutions.
'Cyprus, as one of the 'frontline' countries in terms of migration flows', he said, and having the highest number of new asylum applications in proportion to the population in the last seven years - with the percentage of applicants and beneficiaries of international protection status exceeding 6% of the country's population, has set dealing with the migration issue a priority, he added.
The President of the Republic, the Spokesman notes, 'has repeatedly emphasised the urgent need' for a comprehensive approach to the migration issue, for finding solutions that achieve a fair balance between responsibility and active solidarity between EU member states, for returns to third countries through cooperation with these states, as well as for addressing the causes of the migration phenomenon.
President Christodoulides will be accompanied in Rome by the Director of his Diplomatic Office, Marilena Raouna, and the Director of the Press Office of the President, Victoras Papadopoulos.
Source: Cyprus News Agency