The Republic of Cyprus and the European Border and Coast Guard Organization (FRONTEX) have reached an agreement on the conclusion of an operational action plan for returns, which is expected to be signed in the coming days. This was announced by the Minister of Interior of Cyprus Nikos Nouris and the Executive Director of FRONTEX, Fabrice Leggeri, in their statements to the journalists, after the meeting they had at the Ministry of Interior in Nicosia, in the presence of officials.
Welcoming the FRONTEX Executive Director, the Minister said that “the continuous visits of European officials in recent weeks, culminating in the visit of the Vice President of the European Commission Margaritis Schoinas this weekend, show both the practical interest and the EU the problem that Cyprus is facing in immigration “.
Mr. Nouris thanked Fabrice Leggeri for his visit, for his sincere interest, but also for his continuous effort, as he said, to support Cyprus.
He noted that during their meeting there was a very constructive discussion and exchange of views, mainly on the issue of returns of third country nationals to their countries of origin.
“Cyprus is well known to be the Member State with the highest number of arrivals, especially in the last year, and of course, this dire situation we have reached, needs the immediate and effective support of EU agencies, with FRONTEX first in matters returns, “he said.
He stressed that the root cause of the problem that Cyprus is facing has been diagnosed and heard in the name “Turkey”, and “arrivals from Turkey”. The minister added the axes on which Cyprus focuses its action, with firstly the management of the green line and secondly the increase of the rate of returns.
He noted that with the CEO of Frontex and his team, the issue of returns was discussed in order to maximize them and noted that it will be achieved through concluding agreements with countries of origin, through the assistance and support of the organization.
He recalled that this was something he also discussed in recent meetings with his European counterparts, both with the Frenchman holding the EU presidency and with other countries. He gave examples of cooperation with other Member States such as Belgium, with which a joint flight was made to the Congo, with Germany, with which a return flight has been agreed in the coming weeks, as well as a flight to Vietnam.
He informed that a very good process took place in the past weeks, and thanked both his associates at the Ministry of Interior, as well as the Foreigners and Immigration Service of the Cyprus Police and the FRONTEX team.
Mr. Nouris announced that today they reached an agreement for the conclusion of an operational action plan that includes, inter alia, “strengthening the support that the Organization provides to the Republic of Cyprus by sending additional experts in the field of returns and verification of third-country nationals.” , the implementation of regular return flights with full assumption of costs by FRONTEX, but also the technical support for the upgrade or development of systems for the management of migration flows and returns “.
“This operational action plan to be endorsed in the coming days,” he said, “adds to a number of other agreements, which we have already concluded or are about to conclude in the near future, in order to support the Republic of Cyprus to cope with “due to the daily mass arrivals that we receive at a rate of 85% from the green line, and all coming from the occupied ones through Turkey”.
Thanking the Executive Director again, Mr. Nouris underlined that Cyprus, as a front-line member state that currently accepts the burden of migration, has exactly this need for support from the EU.
“I consider that what we have discussed, agreed and what we will co-sign in the coming days under this agreement, is a practical proof of FRONTEX’s assistance, support and solidarity in the Republic of Cyprus,” he concluded.
Fabrice Leggeri, for his part, thanked the minister for the excellent cooperation, saying that there was a constructive discussion, while he said that fruitful technical discussions preceded between the working groups aimed at maximizing returns.
The role of the Organization, he explained, is to support the return and repatriation of irregular migrants back to their countries of origin, using the means of the Organization. He stated that the goal is to strengthen the missions of the permanent body of the organization in Cyprus to provide know-how in matters of returns, but also to organize consular missions, which will contribute to facilitating the process.
The Executive Director said that the operational cooperation for the flights was discussed, stating that there is a possibility of utilizing synergies with other Member States, or conducting return flights from Cyprus. It conveyed the message that FRONTEX’s mandate is to support Member States facing emergencies. He noted that the visit to Cyprus helped him to understand even more the invitation that Cyprus is facing in relation to its size.
“It is a huge challenge that requires enormous support from FRONTEX,” he said, adding that the organization is the EU’s operational arm that offers operational solidarity and support to Cyprus. He reiterated that the agency’s permanent border guard body consists of 2,000 people at this stage, who will be increased to assist in the surveillance of the Union’s external borders. He stated that Cyprus is a member of the European family and that the organization is present in order to support, in the range of its services, the Member States that are in an emergency.
Returns, said Mr. Leggeri, are in the spotlight, as it is the most urgent need the organization has identified for Cyprus and clarified that it can assist in other areas, such as forged documents at border crossings.
The business action plan, he concluded, will be the roadmap for our teams to work together.
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