“No country can proceed with returns or deportations of Syrians in Syria”
Answers regarding the two the Ministry of the Interior lists key questions that citizens often ask regarding the actions that the Republic of Cyprus can take to deal with the mass flows of Syrian immigrants from Lebanon.
According to an update from the Ministry of the Interior, regarding the question of why boats are not prevented from entering the territorial waters of Cyprus, the Ministry states that it should be understood on the one hand that the sea is not a natural border that can be closed by artificial means for to prevent boats from entering Cypriot territorial waters, on the other hand, it has been observed many times that, even when the Coast Guard approaches the boats to lead them ashore, for fear of being forbidden to continue their journey, they sink the boats or threaten to throw children overboard, and therefore it becomes a search and rescue operation.
On the question of why the boats are not returned to Lebanon, the Ministry notes that despite the informal agreement made with the Lebanese authorities last summer for returns and the successful return of migrants in three cases, the fact that there are over 2 million in Lebanon Syron provoked reactions inside the country as a result of which it no longer accepts returns of immigrants.
It is added that despite this, and despite Lebanon's refusal to accept migrants back, an operation was carried out on 12 February to return 116 migrants who were on board a Coastal Police vessel, with Lebanon not allowing the vessel to enter its territorial waters, and with the The Ministry should note that what it primarily requests is to increase surveillance from the Lebanese side, with the contribution of Frontex, and by extension to prevent the departure of vessels, so that the management problem is caught in its infancy.
< p>It is also clarified that due to the designation of Syria some 13 years ago as an unsafe country, migrants of Syrian origin are considered refugees and therefore have a different status than any other irregular migrants (e.g. Africans or Asians). Based on this, all international countries, without exception, have an obligation to grant temporary protection status, the update adds. Republic urgently requests the European Union, based on the assessment by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), to proceed with the reassessment of Syria and the determination of specific areas as safe, which will allow returns under strict conditions.
