Deputy migration minister to be appointed ‘immediately’

A deputy minister for migration will be appointed “immediately” President Nikos Christodoulides announced on Monday.

And while not going into specifics, Christodoulides told reporters that during the latest EU Council session he formally requested a discussion to redesignate parts of Syria safe.

The president said certain EU member states support the idea but did not specify which ones.

On May 2, Christodoulides will travel to Lebanon with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“This was an initiative from Cyprus,” he underlined.

“The matter concerns us greatly.”

Cyprus has upped its ante over migration, arguing the country can no longer tolerate more arrivals. Christodoulides announced that all new arrivals from Syria will have their asylum applications suspended and will be taken to camps and will not be allowed to work.

The government will supply them with food, with the ultimate aim being to deter any future arrivals to the country.

The policy has been slammed by legal experts who raised concerns that Elam took credit for Christodoulides’ proposals, questioning why the two were on the same page.

Parliament approved the creation of a migration and asylum deputy ministry in February, which Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou described as a milestone.

Having all the services operate under the same department will have “substantive and practical” benefits, he said.