We expect in the next few days to see the results of the measures we implemented in terms of immigration, said today the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou, in his statements on the sidelines of the meeting with the Temporary Coordination Council of the Nicosia Provincial Organization.
Responding to a question about the measures taken to stop the mass arrivals of immigrants and the cooperation with Lebanon to prevent the sailing of boats bound for Cyprus, Mr. Ioannou stated that after the visit of a Cypriot delegation led by the President of the Republic to Lebanon , commitments were given that the authorities of the country will do everything they can to prevent the sailing of boats. "A visit by a competent Commissioner is imminent, as well as by the President of the European Commission with the President of the Republic (in Lebanon). Beyond that, we as the Republic of Cyprus have taken some other measures to prevent the flows, such as the one we announced on Saturday regarding the suspension of the examination of new applications, which was also approved by the European Commission and we expect to see the results of our actions", underlined the Minister of the Interior.
Besides, when asked about the operation carried out by the Coastal Police since yesterday, the Minister did not want to comment, saying that it is an operational plan.
Asked to say if what was implemented yesterday is plan b', Mr. Minister answered in the negative and said that plan b' will be officially announced when and if necessary.
Finally, when asked if there is an intention to review the measures, Mr. Ioannou noted that all measures are reviewed according to their effectiveness.