Filenews 5 June 2022
The position that Cyprus, as the member state facing for the fifth consecutive year the greatest migratory burden, needs the solidarity of its European partners, was expressed in statements on Saturday after the end of the Meeting of the Ministers of Interior of MED5 in Venice by the Minister of Interior Nikos Nouris.
According to a statement by the ministry, Mr. Nouris pointed out that in recent years the med5 countries that are the frontline member states that face a number of problems from irregular migration, are working together and joining forces, adding that a series of initiatives have been taken, as in the case of the transformation of the European Asylum Service, "in order to reach a Common European Pact on Asylum and Migration. In this direction we will continue to be constructive."
"All our efforts are based on the need for solidarity. Solidarity that will not be a mere slogan, nor without substance, but is necessary if we are to have an effective and robust common European policy that effectively tackles all the problems that Europe is currently facing. It is precisely for this reason that solidarity cannot be voluntary", the minister stressed.
As mentioned, Mr. Nouris expressed the government's full support for the initiative of the French Presidency, "a strong basis for negotiation for a process step by step, in an effort to overcome the obstacles and move forward with the pact", while thanking the French Minister of Interior Gerard Darmanin for his dedication and initiative, as well as the upcoming Czech Presidency, which has assured that it will continue to work in the same direction.
"Cyprus, as the member state facing the greatest migratory burden for the fifth consecutive year, needs the solidarity of its European partners. No state can manage the situation on its own, the decisive support of Europe is required", underlined the Minister of Interior, adding that "this solidarity must be translated into practice with the immediate relocation of migrants from our island if we do not want to see dramatic demographic changes soon. At the same time, the European Commission needs to proceed with bilateral return agreements with a number of third countries. If these simple but vital elements are not part of the new Joint European Pact on Asylum and Migration, unfortunately no agreement will be able to solve the problem, especially considering that estimates speak of 150,000 new migrants in frontline Member States for this year alone."
Concluding, Mr. Nouris mentioned that Cyprus will continue to participate in the constructive discussion with the prospect of creating a new, strong and fair asylum and migration system, based on the fair sharing of responsibility. "This is the only way to effectively manage migratory pressures," he concluded.
