The Government will monitor the developments very closely in order to be able to take any measures in time, said the Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letympiotis, on Tuesday, after the meeting at the Presidential Palace, led by President Nikos Christodoulidis, for the effective immigration management.
Arrangements aimed at equal treatment of recipients of the Minimum Guaranteed Income, intensification of the campaign against illegal work and the establishment of an interdepartmental group to submit proposals in order to make the Republic of Cyprus a less attractive destination, are some of the issues on which the President of the Republic was informed , according to Mr. Letympiotis.
In his statements after the meeting, which was attended by the Ministers of Interior, Labour, Justice and the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Mr. Letympiotis, said that President Christodoulidis received information on the effective management of immigration. He added that there was an exchange of views on effective management to continue the good image observed in recent months and in light of the latest developments in our region.
"What is recorded as very important", he noted, is something that is recognized by the Republic of Cyprus, is the approval of the Action Plan for the Eastern Mediterranean. "As is well known, Cyprus was one of the countries that took the lead in drawing up this plan and we are one of the countries that will support as much as we can the effective and immediate implementation of its provisions," he said. He added that it is in this context that the Government is taking "as many measures as we can to continue this good image of the last months". He noted that since November 1, 25 additional examiners have been hired resulting in a more than doubling of examiners, while the examination time has been reduced to one to three months.
The Spokesperson also said that an inter-departmental group has been set up to make recommendations to make the Republic of Cyprus a less attractive destination.
In addition, the President of the Republic has been informed about the results of checks carried out to detect illegal work, he said, noting that these checks will be intensified in the near future.
Mr. Letympiotis called on the Parliament to complete the study of the bill that has been submitted since the summer for the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Immigration and to approve it into law.
"We once again call on the House of Representatives to embrace the priority that is immigration, especially at this time, and to approve as soon as possible the establishment of a Deputy Ministry of Immigration," he said.
Asked by a reporter if any other decisions were made at the meeting, apart from what was agreed at the recent meeting at the Ministry of the Interior, Mr. Letympiotis said that Monday's meeting was inter-departmental and that the Minister of the Interior informed the President today of a series of precautionary measures of measures, which are taken, "to be in a position, in case they need to be taken or activated".
He noted that there will also be an announcement from the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare regarding the arrangements regarding the Minimum Guaranteed Income so that there is an equal treatment and applies to all, political refugees, Cypriots and European citizens, the provision that those who have the right to apply legal and continuous residence in the Republic of Cyprus, five years before the application. He explained that currently people under political refugee status are entitled to apply once they receive this status.
Concluding, Mr. Letymiotis said that the Government will monitor the developments very closely to be able to take any measures in time.