The impression made by the German President, Frank Walter, is positive during his visit to the Reception and Hospitality Center for International Protection Applicants, for the good organization and operation of the Center, according to the Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou.
«At the moment there are about 400 immigrants, 80 children.There is cooperation with the local school and lessons are held on a daily basis in Greek. Some children stay for a few weeks. Now with the acceleration of the examination procedures, it is either approved or rejected in a very short period of time”, Mr. Ioannou pointed out, noting that the Greek language learning courses start from the first day, as part of the children's integration. He added that with the contribution of the Non-Governmental Organizations and voluntary groups active in the Center, other social and recreational activities are offered, such as dancing.
Called to say whether the President of Germany informed his country's immigration policy, the Minister said that the discussion and interest was mainly focused on informing President Steinmeier about the measures and management of Cyprus. According to Mr. Minister, Mr. Steinmeier was informed about the measures implemented by the Government and specifically about the results of these actions. “The fact that in 2023, we had a significant reduction of almost 50% in the number of asylum seekers and an equally significant increase in returns. Germany is one of the countries that helps relocations to third countries. It has received 1,000 of the 1,800 people who have voluntarily relocated to third countriesof the European Union. 1,029 have gone to Germany, and we thanked him for that. We hope for even bigger numbers in the future and we explained to him how the system of voluntary departure and deportation works”, pointed out Mr. Ioannou. In this context, the German President expressed the desire to increase this number.
Despite the significant assistance offered by Germany, the Minister of the Interior reiterated the position of the Republic of Cyprus that more needs to be done, beyond technical and financial assistance, particularly on the issue of reassessing the Syrian regime. “For us it is very important to start a discussion to reassess the Syrian regime, because we also see what is happening in the last days, when we have constant arrivals by boats from Syria and we do not have the weapons or the supplies to be able to prevent these flows”, said the Minister characteristically.
