Cyprus asks EU to review Syria’s status as unsafe to return refugees
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Cyprus said on Friday it has asked the European Union to reevaluate Syria’s status as an unsafe country to be able to return refugees back to Syria.
The Cypriot Minster of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, said he would try to convince the EU to change Syria’s status as a unsafe country to be able to repatriate asylum-seekers, since there are areas considered safe by the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA).
This came following racially-motivated attacks in the recent weeks against foreigners in Cyprus.
“We, as Cyprus, consider and find it conducive, along with other member states, that the status of Syria should be re-evaluated,” he told reporters.
“There are already two areas recognised by the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA) as safe areas…. So, it must now also be recognised at the level of the European Union, allowing us to deport or return people to Syria. At the moment, no country can do so,” he added.
Ioannou also said in a letter sent to European Commission Vice President, Margaritis Schinas, to urgently send aid to Lebanon where an estimated 2,5 million Syrians refugees reside.
The number of Syrians moving to Lebanon are increasing, he noted.
“Lebanon is a barrier. If Lebanon collapses, then all of Europe will have a problem,” he said.
The official declared that their government has decreased the number of illegal migrants by 50 percent and managed to increase returns by 50 percent from 3,200 to 4,700, whether voluntary or through deportation.
He also said Cyprus’ government works “to reduce the financial benefits for asylum seekers to make Cyprus an unattractive destination.”
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) revealed on Sep.5, that during the first half of 2023, they received 519,000 applications for asylum, the highest level for this time of the year since the refugee crisis of 2015-2016, mostly by Syrian refugees. The EUAA’s analysis predicted that applications could surpass one million by the end of 2023.
Roughly one million Syrian asylum-seekers and refugees live in the EU. Germany alone hosts around 59% of them. Across Europe, Syrians have usually been provided with international protection status. However, procedures tend to be long, which is why many Syrians have taken dangerous routes to reach the continent. Around 94,000 Syrians made their way to Europe illicitly in 2022, the EU says – more than double the number in 2021.
The Cypriot official said that Syria’s status has remained marked unsafe for 11 years and the time has come to review it.