Neophytou briefs minister on efforts to reinforce DRC repatriations

Immigration is developing into Cyprus’ “second national problem”, Disy leader and presidential candidate Averof Neophytou said on Monday.

Speaking after a meeting with Interior Minister Nicos Nouris, Neophytou, who has just returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where he went to discuss immigration, said this was a “joint finding” of his party and the government.

The Disy leader said he has briefed Nouris on his trip to the DRC where he went in an attempt to secure a repatriation deal and spoken with government officials there.

“It is a joint finding of ours (Disy’s) and the government that unfortunately immigration is developing into our second national problem, with great risks,” Neophytou said.

“Cyprus has exceeded the numerical limits of the irregular immigrants it can accept,” he added.

Neophytou spoke of four risks arising from immigration. One was the “unwieldy economic burden”, an increase in crime, national security issues and the “now visible” risk of demographic change.

“We have never been racist and I want to state that. The effort of the government with the support of the Democratic Rally to support the Cypriot state and society is not racism,” he added.

Neophytou said he was aware of the efforts of the interior minister and the government in trying to secure repatriation agreements with the home countries of many of those who enter Cyprus.

His trip to the DRC was merely to reinforce that effort, he said, adding that Cyprus has the potential to be perhaps the second European country to reach a bilateral agreement with the DRC after Belgium.

Nouris spoke of the government’s “continuous and uninterrupted efforts” to manage immigration, adding that “any initiative that is supportive in the direction of our own efforts is welcome”.

Nouris referred to the fact that for months now Turkey had clearly been using immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa by sending them to Cyprus.

Since September 2021, he added, continuous flows have been recorded on a systematic and daily basis, the vast majority of which are nationals of sub-Saharan African countries, including the DRC.

“Congolese nationals, within a very short period of time, are the top nationality to arrive in the Republic of Cyprus and around 4,500 Congolese live in our country,” Nouris said.

He added that their applications for asylum were for the most part either rejected or are in the process of being rejected.

Despite this, there is no agreement between the Republic of Cyprus and the DRC. So far, a number of Congolese nationals were sent home due to a previous agreement between the interior ministers of Cyprus and Belgium.

Through this arrangement, he said, Cyprus was able to add people to two flights that Belgium had for repatriated Congolese and around 15 or 16 of its nationals who had been rejected for asylum were returned after being arrested.

“Therefore, it is imperative in the context of this huge effort that we are making for returns that these agreements be concluded,” said Nouris.

Discussions with the DRC had been going on for months, he said.

Similar efforts were being made in the direction of Pakistan and Vietnam. Some efforts were farther along.

“The purpose of these initiatives is to limit arrivals and maximise returns so that those in need can be managed in the best possible way,” he said.

“The goal is not to expel people from our country, but to give real support to those who really need it and those who are not legally entitled to stay should be returned to these countries,” he added.

Nouris thanked the European Union for supporting the effort of Cyprus through the memorandums that have been signed and through Frontex, the EU’s border security agency which assumes all the costs of the return flights.

In the first seven months of the year, 4,000 people have been returned to their various countries “which puts Cyprus in first place among returns in proportion to population among EU member countries,” Nouris said.

“Personally, I can’t say I am satisfied with this number of returns because the arrivals are excessively greater,” he added.

Nouris said many people who arrive in Cyprus end up trapped here and have no idea when they set out that this situation exists. They are then unable to travel on to central Europe “which was their dream”.

“Then their problem becomes ours,” he added.

“We want through these initiatives to send a message to the countries from which many immigrants come that Cyprus is not an immigrant paradise.”

Nouris said Cypriot ambassadors have been told to launch information campaigns in some of these countries so that those thinking of making the journey “know the real facts”.