Interior minister visits Pournara camp

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou discussed ways to expedite the examination of asylum applications with officials during a visit to the Pournara migrants’ reception centre on Tuesday.

At the camp in Kokkinotrimithia, the minister met officials of the Asylum Service, who briefed him about the flow of the necessary asylum procedures and checks on migrants inside the centre. Ioannou also spoke with officials of the Aliens and Immigration Service of the police and of other services that are stationed in the centre and involved in the procedures.

The aim of the meeting was to find ways to improve the procedures so that the examination of applications are completed promptly, especially for persons whose asylum applications are “manifestly unfounded”, an announcement by the Press Information Office said.

Ioannou also inspected the upgrade works at the camp, funded with €22 million from the European Commission and executed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) of Greece.

The upgrading works, expected to be completed towards the end of 2023, include the purchase of prefabricated accommodation units, equipment, as well as maintenance of existing infrastructure.

The aim was to “improve asylum procedures and the more effective management of the migration issue” the PIO announcement added. More works are underway for the construction of a reception centre for asylum seekers with a capacity of 1,000 people and a pre-departure centre in Larnaca with a capacity of about 800, also with EU funding amounting to €67.6 million.

Later, Ioannou visited the outpost of the guards in Kokkinotrimithia, with whom he discussed the surveillance of the Green Line.

Migration remains a serious issue for Cyprus. In 2023 the number of irregular migrants leaving the island exceeded the number arriving for the first time.

The number of applicants seeking protection by June reached 5,563 compared to the 12,048 in the corresponding period last year, while returns so far were 4,370 compared to 2,353 in the same month last year, Ioannou said last week.