For the umpteenth time in immigration, AKEL instead of seeing the problems and the interest of the country is trying to distort reality to gain temporary party benefits, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement, responding to an AKEL statement on the protest of the residents of Western Nicosia.
"Today's protest by the residents of the communities of Western Nicosia is a perfectly justified outburst caused by the rapid increase in migration flows," the Interior Ministry said, adding that "through AKEL's passionate announcement of 621 words, we are still looking for find the words "Turkey", "illegal crossings of the green line", "the need to preserve the demographics of our country", or even a conversation about the problems that our Communities and cities face, such as Chloraka, Drousia, Kokkinotrimithia, Troulloi, old Nicosia and so many other areas ".
The Ministry of Interior also states that "for the increased flows, the operative cause, according to AKEL, is not Turkey that, according to a general admission, is instrumentalizing immigration at the expense of our country, but Anastasiadis and the Alarm".
He adds that "the main cause, gentlemen of AKEL, is neither President Anastasiadis nor the Democratic Alarm. "It is clearly Turkey, aided by the indifference of our compatriots in the occupied territories."
"After all, it is, if nothing else, ridiculous for AKEL to deliver immigration management lessons to the Government, when in their day they took care to make Cyprus an immigrant paradise," he adds.
In addition, he states that "for the umpteenth time the Minister of Interior, who is accused by AKEL of doing nothing in immigration, is also in the spotlight" and adds that "finally in AKEL they should decide: If he does nothing in immigration, what is the mania for? with which his actions are judged and condemned? "
They point out to us, as stated in the announcement of the Ministry of Interior, "that it is our obligation to adopt the policy of open door for anyone who would like to come to our semi-occupied homeland, ignoring for the citizens of this country, the consequences of demographic change , the social impact, but also the increase in crime ".
The Ministry of Interior also states that "it is at least offensive and hypocritical, in the same announcement, for AKEL to criticize the residents of the tested communities for their reactions, ignoring their own human rights, but to finally state that it will stand by them".
Stating that AKEL is wondering "why we spent the millions of aid of the European Union", the Ministry of Interior states that "we have repeatedly informed them in the most official way in Parliament, that for the last five years we have raised 117 million from the European Union".
"Let us also remind AKEL that what the Republic of Cyprus received from the EU for the programming period 2014-2021 concerned what their own government requested in the EU and which was obviously not enough to cover even half of the real needs" , states and adds that "as a result, at the same time, the Cypriot taxpayer was asked to pay an additional 178 million to cover the expenses and benefits of immigrants."
Moreover, in the position of AKEL that the Minister of Interior does not do anything in immigration, the Ministry of Interior states that "among the" few "that have taken place in recent months, is the zeroing of the phenomenon of fictitious marriages and the revocation of more than 1.500 residence permits secured as a product of virtual marriage in previous years, the end of the phenomenon of virtual students, the increase of the staff of the asylum service with more than 53 additional staff, the construction of the new Reception Center and the promotion of the pre-departure center in LIMENES, the with 10 judges of the Court of International Protection, the establishment of a list of safe countries, the conclusion of bilateral agreements with the number of countries for returns, the purchase of a surveillance system, but mainly the implementation of a new rapid review policy which completes the examination of asylum applications within 10 days and with which it was possible to serve 12.500 discards this year alone decisions ".
He states that "the problem remains the long length of the green line through which hundreds of immigrants cross illegally every night and about which AKEL does not talk at all".
"On the contrary, it continues to denounce the government that, for the first time, stood in the way of the Turkish parliament and in its attempt to make the Ledra Palace roadblock, like the well-known case of the two Cameroonians, an additional passage for illegal immigrants."
However, the answer to AKEL on the issue, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "was given only a few days ago by the Pope himself, who in a show of real solidarity and recognizing the intentions of the occupying authorities received the two persons."
(KYPE - GTP / KST / AGK)