Cyprus urges to designate areas in Syria safe to return refugees
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Cypriot official urged on Tuesday for certain areas in Syria to be designated as safe for the return of potential Syrian asylum seekers.
Constantinos Ioannou, Interior Minister of Cyprus, told reporters that it is time to discuss “the revaluation of the state of affairs of Syria.”
A disproportionate number of illegal Syrian immigrants are arriving in Cyprus because of its geographical proximity, he said.
This is not the first time Cyprus has called the European Union to reevaluate Syria’s status as a safe country to return asylum-seekers. Ioannou has previously said they would try to convince the EU as there are areas considered safe by the European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA).
In 2023, the majority of seaborne arrivals in Cyprus originated from Syria. Cyprus processed around 10,600 asylum applications during that period, which was less than 2022’s figure of about 21,500.
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.