Migrant arrivals to Cyprus are at much lower levels according to the Interior Ministry's data while, 29 Syrian nationals saw their subsidiary protection status revoked after it emerged that they were travelling to their country through the occupied areas, the Ministry's spokesperson, Margarita Kyriakou, told CNA on Friday. Asked by CNA about arrivals of Syrian migrants, after it emerged that 10 Syrians asked to leave Cyprus through the voluntary returns mechanism, Kyriakou said that, between May 1-22, 202 people arrived to the Republic of Cyprus, 75 of whom were Syrians. The Interior Ministry's spokesperson noted the low number of migrants in the reception centres, and more specifically that there were a total of 312 people in the Pournara First Reception Centre, approximately 250 people in the Limnes reception centre and 280 in the Reception and Accommodation Center for Applicants for International Protection in Kofinou. Such numbers, she said, were last recorded in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic, w hen travel was greatly restricted, and in 2018. She also said that, 170 Syrians, who arrived in Cyprus after the government's decision, in mid-April, to suspend the examination of subsidiary protection applications of Syrians, were transferred to the Kofinou reception centre where they were offered accommodation and food. She added that 129 of these people refused this and gave residence addresses in the Republic and left the centre. According to Kyriakou, Police carry out regular checks to verify that the people who left the Kofinou centre, lived at the addresses they gave the authorities, and that they are not working, as they do not have the right to work, since, for the time being, applications for subsidiary protection are not being examined. Kyriakou also said that, recently, authorities revoked the subsidiary protection status of 29 Syrians living in Cyprus, and who, it emerged, were travelling to their country through the Turkish occupied areas. She said that, the returns process continued, with a round 4,500 people who were living in the country illegally repatriated so far this year. In April, there were 1,014 repatriations, which is almost double the number compared to the same month last year when 595 returns were recorded, she said. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. In January, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency
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