The measures taken by Cyprus to facilitate the voluntary returns of Syrians to their country were mentioned by the Deputy Minister of Immigration, Nikolas Ioannidis, during the first day of the work of the Council of Justice and Home Affairs of the EU held on Thursday in Brussels. The session continues on Friday with the participation of the Ministers responsible for matters of justice.
According to a related announcement on Friday, the Ministers responsible for interior and immigration issues discussed at a working lunch the ways of possible implementation of innovative solutions to prevent irregular migration flows, as well as the recent developments in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.
In his intervention, Mr. Ioannidis told his counterparts that, in the last few days, a number of Syrians living in Cyprus withdrew the applications they had submitted for the granting of international protection, while others renounced the subsidiary protection status that had been granted to them, as they intend to return to Syria.
As mentioned, Mr. Ioannidis informed the Council that the Deputy Ministry has taken the necessary measures to facilitate voluntary returns.
The Deputy Minister also emphasized that respecting Syria's sovereignty and preserving the country's territorial integrity are a priority, and underlined the importance of ensuring stability for the benefit of all Syrians and the wider region.
On the sidelines of the Council's work, the Deputy Minister of Migration had a meeting with the Polish Deputy Minister of Interior and Administration, Maciej Duszczyk, with whom they discussed the priorities of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU (first half of 2025), and the joint priorities of the Presidencies Trio in which Poland, Denmark participate (second semester 2025) and Cyprus (first half of 2026).
Mr. Ioannidis also had a meeting with the Finnish Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen with whom they discussed, among other things, measures against the instrumentalization of immigration from third countries, and the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
Source: KYPE
