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  • 24 NOVEMBER 2024
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Cyprus heralds more EU countries’ support for Syrian repatriation

Cyprus said today it was among at least eight European Union member states seeking the creation of safe zones in Syria to allow the return of refugees who fled the war.

Cyprus heralds more EU countries’ support for Syrian repatriation
Notícias ao Minuto

22:07 - 17/05/24 por Lusa

Mundo Chipre

The Mediterranean island nation, the closest EU member state to Syria, hosted a conference of states backing its proposal days after the bloc gave its green light to a migration and asylum pact, a vast reform that toughens Europe’s immigration controls.

Other participants in the conference, focused among other things on safe zones in Syria, included Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta and Poland.

The eight countries are part of a larger group of 15 member states that have also called for “new solutions” to relocate migrants to third countries.

Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris stressed in a statement that after 13 years of conflict in Syria, “it is high time for the EU to redefine its position” on the country.

“Full stability has not been restored in the country,” he said, but “we must accelerate the process and take all necessary measures to create the conditions that will allow the return of people to Syria.”

Cyprus has been a favoured destination for Syrian refugees, and arrivals have increased sharply in recent months.

To stem the flow, the government has stepped up sea patrols and suspended the examination of asylum applications from Syrians, denying benefits to new arrivals.

Nouris called for increased financial support for Lebanon, a transit country for the migrants that is mired in an unprecedented economic crisis.

“If Lebanon collapses, the consequences for the EU as a whole will be incalculable,” he warned.

Lebanon says it hosts some two million refugees from neighbouring Syria.

The EU in early May announced a €1 billion aid package to support Lebanon’s “socio-economic stability”, while calling on the country to cooperate in curbing illegal migration to Europe.

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, whose movement wields major influence in Lebanon, on Monday called on the Beirut government to “open the sea” to migrant boats to pressure Europe, which he accused of wanting to keep Syrian refugees in the country.

Read Also: Ship with humanitarian aid leaves Cyprus and heads to new dock in Gaza (Portuguese version)

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