Cyprus president wants European Union to discuss designation of Syria as safe zone for refugees

Cyprus’ president said on Monday that the European Union cannot put its own interests first unless it considers designating parts of Syria as safe zones, allowing refugees and migrants to return. .

President Nicos Christodoulides has announced that Cyprus will work with like-minded EU member states to discuss its goals in order to reduce the pressure on the Mediterranean country, which hosts the largest number of refugees and migrants. He said that he is starting.

“We do not believe that not discussing the situation in Syria is a suitable option for the European Union,” Christodoulides said after a meeting with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“The Republic of Cyprus is committed to starting a discussion within the European Union on the situation in Syria, in cooperation with other Member States that share this approach,” he said.

In his most outspoken remarks yet on migration, Christodoulides acknowledged that some EU countries were “sensitive” on the issue, but said some areas of Syria were safe enough for migrants to return. The EU “must address” whether this is the case, he said.

“There are areas in Syria that have to be investigated to see if they are safe and therefore allow migrants to return from certain areas,” he said.

Despite a 37% drop in migrants arriving in Cyprus last year, official figures show that migrants arriving by boat from Syria and Lebanon will increase by 355% to 4,259 people in 2023, compared to 937 in 2022. became.

Christodoulides thanked Steinmeier, who was the first German president to visit Cyprus, for the country’s decision to voluntarily accept 1,000 asylum seekers from Cyprus. Speaking through an interpreter, Steinmeier said Germany understood the burden Cyprus was under due to smuggling.

Cypriot Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou said earlier this month that the vast majority of people arriving in Cyprus by sea are Syrians who have fallen prey to human smugglers from Syria and Lebanon.

He said an agreement was in place for the EU’s law enforcement agency Europol to become more active in helping to crack down on such smuggling rings, while Cypriot authorities had developed specialist expertise to step up enforcement and patrols. He said he was setting up troops.

Ioannou said asylum applications in Cyprus fell by 46% in 2023, but repatriations and voluntary departures increased by 66%. Overall, Cyprus recorded approximately 10,991 migrant arrivals last year, approximately 6,447 fewer than in 2022.