The new migrant centre in Limnes, near the Larnaca district village of Menoyia, is to be completed by the end of the year, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said on Wednesday.

Speaking during a visit to the site, he said the initial construction project will cost “over €100 million” by the time the centre is complete, with an initial capacity of 1,000 people, though plans are already afoot to expand it further.

Migration Deputy Minister Nicholas Ioannides was also at the centre, and said 90 per cent of that budget will be provided by funds from the European Union.

“We are pleased to see that the project is progressing, being implemented, and they will soon hand it over to us so that we, in turn, can then hand it over to the competent services for their own activities,” said Vafeades.

He added that the site is being built to “international specifications” with “no deviations” from these.

Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis also visited the centre, and described it as “a very important infrastructure project”.

“In its broad significance and meaning, this specific project will greatly contribute to the Republic of Cyprus’ broader goal of becoming a member and partner of the Schengen zone as soon as possible,” he began.

He then added that the centre will also “greatly contribute to the effectiveness of the entire migration problem we are facing”.

“For us at the justice ministry, this infrastructure is also important as its completion will provide an opportunity for the people who are currently being hosted at Menoyia [detention centre] to be transferred to this centre in Limnes,” he said.

This, he said, will allow the justice ministry to “immediately proceed with the relevant changes at Menoyia to transform it at the beginning of next year”.

Ioannides said the centre’s construction will “relieve” Cyprus’ urban centres.

“When we have reception centres, these people will not go to towns and villages to stay, they will stay in their reception centres, which have very good conditions and work according to European standards,” he said.

“This is a project of enormous importance and will certainly contribute even more to effective management migration,” he said.

Earlier, he had said the site will “contribute significantly” to Cyprus’ capabilities regarding the accommodation and processing of undocumented migrants.

He said it will allow the country to “provide appropriate living conditions while asylum seekers are being temporarily accommodated” there, and also “increase the rates and numbers of those being repatriated” in the event that they are not granted asylum.

To this end, he said, the centre will “decisively strengthen the reception, asylum, and returns systems of the Republic of Cyprus”, and added that he looks forward to continue to develop his deputy ministry’s cooperation with Cyprus’ European funds directorate and with the European Commission to extract funds and support for these functions.