Tomorrow, May 17, 2024, Cyprus will host the Ministerial Summit that will focus on the external dimension of immigration, with an emphasis on the Syrian issue. Ministers and officials from Greece, the Czech Republic, Austria, Poland, Denmark, Italy and Malta will participate in the Summit, which is being organized on the initiative of Nicosia and will be chaired by the Minister of the Interior Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou .
During the work of the Synod, the participants will discuss migration in the light of the external dimension and consider ways to promote realistic measures to address the serious challenges of migration. The Summit is also expected to deal with the provision of technical and financial support to neighboring third countries, recognizing their important role and contribution in stopping migration flows to the EU.
In this context and taking into account that Lebanon is called upon to manage serious social, economic and political problems, due to the large number of Syrian nationals who are in its territory, the Minister of the Interior will raise the need for the European Union to proceed with the further provision of substantial assistance to Lebanon, along the lines of the agreements with Egypt and Tunisia. Mr. Ioannou will refer to the recent joint visit of the President of the Republic and the President of the European Commission to Lebanon and the announcement of a €1 billion financial support package, aimed at improving basic services and strengthening the Lebanese Security Authorities to combat of migrant smuggling networks.
In relation to the issue of Syria, the representatives of the eight member states will exchange views on the Cypriot initiative to reassess the status of areas in the country and the designation of certain areas as safe. Although stability in the country has not been achieved in absolute
degree, the situation is clearly differentiated and therefore the existing realities on the ground should be considered. The aim is to speed up the ongoing process in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, in order to allow the return of Syrian nationals, under strict security conditions, with respect to European and International Law.
