The circumstances arising from the war situation in the region, combined with the good weather on the other hand, led to an unprecedented increase in maritime migration flows.
This has concerned the government, with the President of the Republic urgently convening the National Security Council.
As reported by Phileleftheros from a representative of the Department of Migration, Cyprus has been an increase in the first quarter of 2024 due to mass irregular migrant arrivals.
Last year, only 78 arrived by boats in the first few months, whereas this year the number increased to 2,208.
As a result, the First Reception Centre ‘Pournara’ suddenly reached a capacity of 1,182, compared to last year’s 500-600 migrants.
Therefore, all procedures were initiated to examine them medically, collect their data, and subsequently release them from the Centre.
Information from those who arrived indicates that others are also preparing to leave Lebanon for Cyprus, which has concerned the government, prompting them to consider ways to curb this influx.
Syrian nationals are granted temporary protection status by the competent Asylum Services due to the situation in Syria.
This ensures their temporary stay in Cyprus.
Their stay at the Centre lasts two to three weeks to complete all procedures, apply for political asylum, and then doors open for them to leave freely and settle wherever they want.
Authorities are not obligated to provide them with housing, but with the status granted, they have the right to apply to services for related benefits.
They also have access to the labour market.
This is why a proposal was submitted some time ago by the Department of Migration to deny Syrians access to the labour market as an incentive to deter their arrival in Cyprus.
Many who came have settled permanently and are economically active. It is noted that in the past, when Cyprus saw increased migration, Pournara hosted over 2,500-3,000 people, leading to overcrowding in the Kokkinotrimithia area and reactions from residents.
Meanwhile, information from Phileleftheros suggests that the decisions made yesterday at the National Security Council’s meeting include:
Exerting pressure on the EU to in turn pressure Lebanese authorities to detain Syrian refugees on its territory, in exchange for financial aid, similar to what was recently given to Egypt.
Intensifying contacts between Cypriot authorities and EU bodies to reclassify certain areas of Syria from unsafe to safe, to facilitate their repatriation.
Currently, there are around two million Syrian refugees in Lebanon who fled their country due to the war.
Now, with the war in Gaza and the unstable situation in Lebanon, with many deciding to seek a safer place elsewhere.
As Cyprus is the closest European country, the boats they use barely manage to approach its territorial waters, while smuggling networks charge $3,000 per person.
Among the measures taken is the intensification of patrols off the coast of Cyprus.
However, intercepting boats and forcing them to return to Lebanon poses deadly risks and is not feasible.
The problem is estimated to be solved by the EU, hence efforts are directed towards that direction, as well as directly with Lebanese authorities.
However, the talks conducted so far with Lebanon, even with the recent visit of the Foreign Minister, Konstantinos Kombos, have yielded no results.
Authorities believe that arrivals will continue at the same rate, causing intense concern that this year migration flows will not be contained at last year’s levels.
There has been an 85% reduction in arrivals from African countries, attributed to measures taken in the countries of origin and the handling of these individuals here, as they remained detained until their deportation.
