President of Cyprus wants EU to label safe areas in Syria for refugees
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Monday the European Union is not serving its own interests by not considering the designation of some areas in Syria as safe to return refugees there.
Christodoulides said Cyprus is working with EU member nations of the same approach to start a discussion on how to ease the pressure on countries that receive the most refugees.
“The Cyprus Republic, in cooperation with other member states which share this approach, is working toward initiating a discussion within the European Union about the Syria situation,” he said.
After talks with Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Christodoulides said, “I don’t consider not discussing the situation inside Syria as an appropriate option for the European Union.”
He pointed out that Cyprus understands that some EU countries might have “sensitivities” on the issue, but it should be addressed.
“There are areas in Syria in which we must examine whether they are safe and by extension, enable the return of migrants from those specific areas,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cypriot Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said earlier this month most of the refugees coming to Cyprus are Syrians.
Official figures indicate the rate of immigrants from Syria and Lebanon arriving to Cyprus by sea increased 355 percent, with 4,259 arriving in 2023 as compared to 937 in 2022.
Roughly one million Syrian asylum-seekers and refugees live in the EU. Germany alone hosts around 59 percent 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.
According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Syria remains the largest displacement crisis in the world with over 12 million Syrians displaced.