A total of 29 people – which 21 from Pakistanis and eight Georgians, were returned to their country of origin on Tuesday.

The repatriations were a result of a police operation carried out in cooperation with Greek authorities and European border agency Frontex.

According to the police, in 2022, Cyprus carried out a total of 1,590 returns, more than double compared to 2021, which saw 649 returns.

During the Med5 summit in Malta last Friday and Saturday, the director general of the interior ministry Costas Constantinou appealed to Frontex to help Cyprus manage its migratory flow.

Last December, a Frontex report described Cyprus as a “role model in terms of returns”, speedily sending those from safe countries back home once their applications for asylum have been rejected.