Interior minister urges cooperation in migrant repatriation

Non-EU countries must be more proactive in their cooperation with repatriating irregular migrants that arrive at the bloc, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said during an EU meeting.

Speaking at the informal meeting of justice and home affairs ministers in Spain, Ioannou reiterated that nationals from non-EU nations constitute the vast majority of those who arrive.

He said additional support is also required from transit countries.

But Ioannou’s main focus was on the need to secure a long-lasting and viable migration deal at the highest EU level, ensuring a common and holistic approach.

An integrated and unified approach which involves cooperation between member states, regional organisations, and international institutions would ensure that the measures taken are effective.

The minister said on Thursday that Cyprus has repeatedly stressed that solving the migration issue cannot and should not be limited to repressive measures taken by member states.

“Given that we’re facing an international issue then more targeted measures by the EU should be adopted with a focus towards the external factors, with the goal of reducing and preventing incoming flows,” he offered.

That, Ioannou said, will mean that the countries on the front line will be able to better manage and handle the situation.

Ioannou met with his Greece’s Migration and Asylum Minister Dimitris Kairidis, with whom he discussed further enhancing the cooperation between the two nations on migration issues.

They further reiterated the importance of cooperation within the MED5 grouping and first-line Mediterannean member states facing increased migration flows.

Despite the ongoing pressures facing Cyprus, the minister has recently hailed measures taken by the government as yielding results.

Arrivals this year are down sharply compared to 2022, with 735 asylum applications in June 2023 compared to 2,401 in the corresponding month last year.

The minister stressed, however, that the government is adapting to the shifting networks, with work being carried out across all levels – ranging from political decisions and diplomacy to technical and operational action.

Notably, the ministry added a significant policy change is that asylum applicants who arrived in Cyprus after January 1, 2023, will not be included in the list of candidates for the voluntary resettlement programme.