Enforcement sanctions to all Turkish airlines that fly regularly irregular migrants in occupied Cyprus was requested by the Minister of Interior Nikos Nouris, in his intervention at the Informal Council of Ministers of Interior in Lille, France.
According to a statement, the first Informal Council of Interior Ministers under the French Presidency discussed France's procedural proposal for the Immigration and Asylum Pact to go one step further and break the deadlock in the process.
Mr. Nouris, in his speech at the Informal Council of Interior Ministers in Lille, France, said that Cyprus clearly supports the French initiative, but at the same time clarified that this can be easily implemented if specific key issues are clarified.
In an effort to assist in this direction, Cyprus made specific suggestions with the Minister emphasizing that it is time for decisions, because Europe is in danger given that new, additional outbreaks of migrants may soon emerge.
On the issue of the external dimension of immigration raised by the French Presidency, Cyprus, through the Minister of the Interior, supported the need for active and generous support of third countries, in order to enable the retention of their nationals in their country of origin, with FRONTEX taking an active role in monitoring their external borders by blocking outflows.
Mr Nouris called for the case to be extended to Turkey, with surveillance extending to the southern Turkish coast and to Istanbul's airport, from which thousands of irregular African migrants depart for Tympus Airport. he said, then they are forwarded by traffickers to the areas controlled by the Republic, through the green line.
In the context of the implementation of a balanced approach to the issue, the Minister suggested that the same applies to the case of Lithuania, such as the imposition of sanctions on all Turkish airlines that systematically transport irregular migrants to occupied Cyprus.
Cyprus has called for a dialogue between the European Commission and Turkey to discuss the lack of cooperation with Member States on immigration, including Cyprus.
The Minister stated that as Cyprus he unreservedly supports the initiative of the French Presidency, as well as the statement of the President Emmanuel Macron himself for an agreement that must, however, be based on solidarity and responsibility. "And this solidarity must include the obligation of the Member States to relocate a number of migrants from those countries, which bear the greatest migrant burden," said Mr. Nouris.
Carrying out a prior agreement between the Ministers of Interior of France and Cyprus, on the sidelines of the Summit, the Cypriot delegation had a meeting with representatives of the French Immigration Service, to discuss the possibility of concluding a memorandum of return, especially to African countries, to help Cyprus.
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