Filenews 11 December 2021
The Minister of Interior, Nikos Nouris, counterattacked on the criticisms that the Government received from AKEL for the migration problem, stating that for the umpteenth time "instead of the opposition party seeing the problems and the interest of the country, it is trying to distort reality to gain temporary party benefits".
"Today's protest of the residents of the communities of Western Nicosia is a fully justified outburst caused by the rapid increase of migratory flows", says the Ministry of Interior, adding that "through the passionate announcement of AKEL of 621 words, we are still looking to find the words 'Turkey', 'illegal passages from the green line', 'need to preserve the demography of our country', or at least a word about the problems that our Communities and cities face, such as Chloraka, Drousia, Kokkinotrimithia, Troulli, old Nicosia and so many other areas".
The Ministry of Interior also states that "for the increased flows, the root cause, according to AKEL, is not Turkey, which, by general admission, is instrumentalizing the migration issue at the expense of our country, but Anastasiades and the Government".
He adds that "the root cause, gentlemen of AKEL, is neither the President Anastasiades nor the Government. It is clearly Turkey, aided by the indifference of our compatriots in the occupied territories."
"Besides, it is, if nothing else, grotesque for AKEL to deliver lessons in the management of migration to the Government, when during their days they took care to make Cyprus a migratory paradise", he adds.
Moreover, he mentions that "for the umpteenth time, the Minister of the Interior, who is accused by AKEL of not doing anything on the migration issue" and adds that "at last in AKEL they should decide: If he does nothing on immigration, why the fury with which his actions are judged and condemned?"
They tell us, as the Ministry of Interior states in the announcement, "that it is our obligation to adopt the policy of open door for anyone and those who would like to come to our semi-occupied homeland, ignoring the citizens of this country, the consequences of the alteration of demography, the social consequences, but also the increase in crime".
Also, the Ministry of Interior states that "it is at least offensive and hypocritical, in the same statement, that AKEL criticizes the residents of the suffering communities for their reactions, ignoring their own human rights, but finally declares that it will stand by them".
Stating that AKEL wonders "about where we spent the millions of European Union aid", the Ministry of Interior states that "we informed them repeatedly and in the most official way in parliament, that for the last five years we have raised €117 million from the European Union".
"We should also remind AKEL that what the Republic of Cyprus received from the EU for the programming period 2014 - 2021 concerned what their own governance requested in the EU and which was obviously not sufficient to cover even half of the real needs", he says and adds that "as a result, at the same time, the Cypriot taxpayer was asked to pay an additional €178 million to cover the expenses and allowances of immigrants."
Moreover, in AKEL's position that the Minister of Interior does nothing on immigration, the Ministry of Interior states that "among the "minimum" that has been done in recent months, is the nihilism of the phenomenon of sham marriages and the revocation of more than 1,500 residence permits secured as a product of a sham marriage in previous years, the termination of the phenomenon of virtual students, the increase of the staffing of the asylum service with more than 53 additional staff, the construction of the new Reception Center and the promotion of the pre-removal centre in Limnes, the staffing with 10 judges of the Court of International Protection, the establishment of a list of safe countries, the conclusion of bilateral agreements with a number of countries for returns, the purchase of a surveillance system, but mainly the implementation of a new rapid examination policy with which the examination of the asylum applications and which made it possible to serve 12,500 rejection decisions for this year alone."
He says that "the long length of the green line, from which hundreds of migrants pass illegally every night and about which AKEL has no talk, remains a problem".
"On the contrary, it continues to denounce the government that, for the first time, stood in the way of Turkey's will and its attempt to render as yet another route of irregular migrants, the Ledra Palas barricade, with the well-known case of the two Cameroonians," he adds.
However, the answer to AKEL on the issue, according to the Ministry of Interior, "was given just a few days ago by the Pontiff himself, who in a sign of real solidarity and recognizing the intentions of the occupying authorities received the two persons".
"The operative cause of the problem is the handling of the Government"
In its announcement, AKEL argued that "the situation prevailing at the Pournara Reception Centre for Migrants and Asylum Seekers in Kokkinotrimithia, a reception centre that should host 600 people for a few days and currently hosts 2,500, and many of them for many months, is really difficult and objectively creates difficulties for neighbouring communities as well."
He also noted that "the over-accumulation of people in this centre and in this particular area creates real, real issues and problems for the communities of the region. However, in order to find a solution to the problems, the crucial question must first be answered: What is the root cause of the problem? So what is it that gives birth to, that creates the problem?"
As he suggested, "the root cause of the problem is the unacceptable and irresponsible handling of the Anastasiades Government, which stacks people in the reception centre of the area, creating at the same time very serious problems both for the migrants themselves and for the residents of the area".
He also cited the arguments that "we want to point out at the same time the following:
1. Cyprus, like all states, is obliged to comply with international and European law. This means that the Republic of Cyprus is obliged to accept asylum seekers, provide them with access to asylum services and examine their applications quickly and efficiently. For this purpose, Cyprus is funded with funds from the European Union. Specifically, for asylum and immigration policy purposes, our country will have raised €250 million by 2024. For the period we are currently in, €4 million has already been allocated for 'Pournara'. It is surprising that we managed to learn that the people who live in "Pournara" are often deprived of basic goods for their survival and hygiene.
2. The Anastasiades Government is controlled not only for the management of the funds but also for the management of the migration problem itself.
3. Her indifference and incompetence has created an explosive situation both at the Reception Centre of "Pournara" and elsewhere. It is characteristic that in 2012 there were 1200 asylum applications pending. There are currently more than 18,000 asylum applications pending. Who is to blame for this? Who else is the Government and the competent Minister who did little to staff the Asylum Service and expedite the examination of asylum applications?"
He also stressed that "the problems that exist and the issues raised for the residents of the area are understandable. What is problematic, however, are some of the demands raised by the communities of the region (Kokkinotrimithia, Mammari, Denia) which smell of racism, such as to ban the movement of immigrants. If the aim is indeed to solve the problems created in the area, the attention and pressure of the Communities and the residents of the Communities must be turned to the Ministry of Interior and the Government who, with the unacceptable handling of the issue and especially the handling of the "Pournara" Reception Centre, have created this whole difficult situation. We very much fear that some of the unacceptable issues raised will be exploited by extreme, fascist elements, not to solve the problems, of course, but to promote their misanthropic ideologies. Such a development will first and foremost do injustice to the inhabitants of the area, who are not at all responsible for the situation that has arisen. Also such an image, of racist exploitation of the situation, will turn against the Community authorities and will make it difficult to deal with the issues".
Finally, he said that "AKEL will intensify its efforts alongside the inhabitants of the region and with respect to human rights and international law so that the situation improves and the problems are overcome, putting the rulers in front of their responsibilities".
