President Nicos Anastasiades has raised his concerns over the spike in the number of irregular migrants to the Republic of Cyprus with Turkish Cypriot Mustafa Akinci.
In a message on Twitter, Anastasiades said that he had contacted Akinci on Wednesday to convey the “intense concern” of the Greek Cypriot side over what he described as the “organised and increased illegal flow of migrants to the Republic of Cyprus.”
He added that he had stressed the need for measures to be taken to avert this phenomenon.
Επικοινώνησα σήμερα με τον ΤΚ ηγέτη κ. Ακκιντζί, όπου του μετέφερα την έντονη ανησυχία της πλευράς μας για την οργανωμένη και αυξανόμενη παράνομη ροή μεταναστών στην Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία, τονίζοντας παράλληλα πως θα πρέπει να ληφθούν μέτρα αποτροπής του εν λόγω φαινομένου.
— Nicos Anastasiades (@AnastasiadesCY) March 4, 2020
Yesterday President Anastasiades expressed concern over the increase in migrant flows from Turkey accusing the latter of attempting to alter Cyprus’ demographic characteristics.
And in statements after a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said that in the past three days, 223 irregular migrants have come to the Republic — 153 of them by midday on Tuesday. About 100 turned up at the immigration service in Nicosia and asked for political asylum. They were taken to the temporary accommodation centre for asylum seekers at Kokkinotrimthia.
Nouris said that Cyprus cannot cope with the increased number of economic migrants. But he assured that Nicosia had no intention of sending people to countries where their lives are at risk.
Meanwhile, 101 Syrian refugees who had set off from Mersin were brought to shore at Protaras and taken to the Kokkinotrimithia camp later on Tuesday.
Read more
https://in-cyprus.com/minister-cyprus-cannot-absorb-any-more-economic-migrants-will-protect-refugees/