A new immigration policy is being drafted and will soon be presented to the Council of Ministers, Interior Minister Nikos Nouris said on Monday. The percentage of immigrants in Cyprus is 3,8%, while the EU frontline countries have rates below 1%, the Minister said, adding that the situation is very serious and measures must be taken.
Speaking after the meeting of the Council of Ministers at the Presidential Palace, Mr. Nouris, answering a relevant question, said that the problem of immigration is ranked high in the priorities of the Ministry of Interior and the Government and should be addressed on the basis of specific criteria.
"I had the opportunity to inform my counterparts in the informal Council of Interior Ministers in Croatia and to have many meetings with the relevant Commissioners. "A new immigration policy is being prepared by the Ministry of Interior, which will be presented to the Council of Ministers very soon, in an effort to curb the flow, always in a rational way, always in the context of the recognition of human rights," he said.
"Apart from the fact that there is a huge flow from the dividing line, the problem at the moment is not focused on refugees, but on economic migrants who are growing exponentially," the interior minister said.
He went on to say that measures must be taken, acknowledging the size of the small Republic of Cyprus and the fact that the proportion of immigrants in the country is 3,8%, at a time when EU frontline countries are facing similar problems. , such as Greece and Italy, have percentages below 1%.
"This is the situation in immigration, that is why I have described it as very serious and because we can not let the problem continue, concrete measures must be taken," he said.
Mr. Nouris stated that contacts have been made in the European area, and there have been assurances to provide logistical assistance and support in matters of resettlement and returns, which, as he said, we will try to implement as soon as possible.
Revitalization of remote areas of the Municipality of Nicosia and Agios Dometios
Moreover, Mr. Nouris said that the Council of Ministers approved on Monday the proposal of the Ministry of Interior for renewal of the four-year program of revitalization of the critical areas in the areas of Nicosia and Agios Dometios for an additional cost of 11 million Euros.
He said that based on the evaluation, the program implemented since 1991 has yielded the most in terms of revitalizing abandoned areas, providing investment incentives, as well as shop landscaping and facades for commercial and residential development.
With this additional renewal, we hope that we will have even better results in the image presented by the dividing line in the specific Municipalities, he concluded.