Cyprus: The government of Cyprus has raised the alarm over the rising number of Syrian refugees who are entering the country irregularly from Lebanon.
Nikos Christodoulides, President of Cyprus, expressed deep concern over the situation, citing that the irregular arrival of Syrian asylum seekers and refugees has been consistently increasing in recent weeks. Over two days, more than 350 such arrivals have been recorded.
Cypriot President after meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, stated that, “I fully understand the challenges Lebanon is facing, but exporting migrants to Cyprus should not be the answer and cannot be accepted.”
Cyprus, located in the eastern part of the European Union, is only 100 miles (160km) away from Syria and Lebanon. Recently, there was a significant increase in the number of people seeking asylum from these countries, especially from Syria. Lebanon, which is currently confronting a monetary crisis, is home to around 800,000 Syrian refugees enlisted with the United Nations. However, officials estimate that the actual number of refugees is much higher, ranging from 1.5 to two million.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), around 90 percent of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon are below the extreme poverty line. Cyprus, in balance to its population, acquired the highest number of sanatorium applications among other EU member states in recent years. Since the start of the year, 30 people arrived on the island on average each day, according to the UNHCR.
Nicosia is urging the European Union to consider declaring certain parts of war-torn Syria as safe zones, which would enable asylum seekers who arrived in neighbouring countries to return home. Since 2011, Syria embroiled in a civil war that started with protests against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. With the support of his allies including Russia, Iran, and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, al-Assad regained control of two-thirds of the country, while the antagonism forces still hold the northwest region.
The EU could make a deal with Lebanon to stop refugees and asylum seekers from leaving, as Cyprus faces a surge in arrivals from the Middle East. The European Union signed agreements with many countries to help them handle increased migration, but these deals were criticised by rights groups.
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