There is a plan to improve the infrastructure at the "Pournara" First Reception Center, said the Deputy Minister of Immigration and International Protection, Nikolas A. Ioannidis, after the end of his visit to the Center on Tuesday morning.
Mr. Ioannidis said that this is his first visit to "Pournara", adding that he wanted to make this visit together with his colleagues during the first days of assuming his duties, so that he could see for himself the work being done, which - as he said - "is excellent".
He also noted that he had been briefed earlier today by the officials of the Asylum Service about the way they work, the achievements, as well as some problems. As he said, there has indeed been a great improvement and this has been helped by the reduction of immigration flows, which allows the Asylum Service to organize itself better.
In addition, the Deputy Minister of Immigration stated that there is a plan to improve the infrastructure and premises of "Pournara", underlining that there are worthy officials who are successfully carrying out their work. "I am sure that we will work closely together to continue to manage this difficult issue even better," he added.
Answering a question, Mr. Ioannidis spoke of about 250 immigrants, noting that it is a very low number compared to what happened in previous years. "If we look at it evolutionary, there is an improvement, not only in terms of numbers", he emphasized, pointing out that "it is not only the numbers that are the issue, it is also the issue of the livelihood of these people".
As he said, "if the space cannot accommodate many - we had reached 3.000 immigrants - the situation is very difficult for these people as well". It is positive that the numbers are decreasing, the procedures can be made better and their (S.S. of resident immigrants) living becomes humane until the procedures are completed, he added.
In response to another question, the Deputy Minister of Immigration stated that the projects to upgrade Pournara are underway, noting that there is also funding from the European Union and in collaboration with other agencies that make these projects viable. He also expressed the hope that "soon, within the next two years, several projects will be completed both in Pournara and in Limnes and in Mennogeia, where we will be able to accommodate other people, with an emphasis on the quality of life".
Afterwards, Mr. Ioannidis thanked the officials of the Asylum Service for the excellent work they do. At the same time, he assured the citizens of the Republic of Cyprus that "we will continue at the same rate". As he said, "we will identify the bad texts, the shortcomings, the problems, so that we can correct them and this good image that exists in the immigration issue will continue and be strengthened even more, always in synergy with other states of the European Union" .
Furthermore, he said that these issues will be discussed in the coming days, pointing out that immigration is not only a problem of Cyprus, but is "both of the wider region and of the European Union in general".
"We will not be alone in this, but in cooperation with the European partners we will have to manage the problem and that is what we will do," he concluded.
Earlier, the Deputy Minister of Immigration was given a tour of the premises of the Pournara First Reception Center. During his tour, he was informed by officials of the Asylum Service that there are 222 immigrants in the Center (of which 9 are minor children, 6 boys and 3 girls). With regard to the upgrade of the building infrastructure of the Center, the officials informed Mr. Ioannidis that the relevant fund amounts to €27,5 million, comes from the European Commission and the projects are implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). .
Source: KYPE