Cyprus Asks EU to Review Whether Syria Unsafe for Repatriations

Cyprus Asks EU to Review Whether Syria Unsafe for Repatriations
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Cyprus Asks EU to Review Whether Syria Unsafe for Repatriations

Cyprus Asks EU to Review Whether Syria Unsafe for Repatriations

European Union member Cyprus said Friday it has asked the bloc to review whether Syria remains an unsafe country to which member states should be barred from repatriating asylum-seekers.

The move follows a flurry of racially-motivated attacks on foreigners in recent weeks amid growing anti-migrant sentiment on the Mediterranean island.

Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said he would try to persuade the EU and the United Nations to end Syria’s status as an unsafe country for refugees to be returned to.

"We, as Cyprus, consider and find it conducive, along with other member states, that the status of Syria should be re-evaluated," he told reporters, AFP reported.

Ioannou said the bloc had left Syria's status unchanged for 11 years, and a review was needed as some areas were considered safe.

"There are already two areas recognized by the EU Asylum Agency (EUAA) as safe areas," he said.

“So, it must now also be recognized at the level of the European Union, allowing us to deport or return people to Syria. At the moment, no country can do so.”

In a letter to European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, Ioannou said he had also raised the urgent need for aid to Lebanon, where it is estimated that 2.5 million Syrians have taken refuge.

“The information we have from the authorities in Lebanon is that there is an increase in Syrians moving to Lebanon.

"Lebanon is a barrier. If Lebanon collapses, then all of Europe will have a problem," he said.

In recent months, Cyprus has seen a surge of asylum seekers, most of them Syrian, arriving by sea from Syria and Lebanon.

The minister said the government has reduced arrivals of irregular migrants by 50 percent, thanks to external factors and specific measures taken.

"We have managed to increase returns by 50 percent from 3,200 to 4,700, whether they are voluntary, which we have invested a lot in, or deportations."

Ioannou said the processing of asylum applications had been speeded up and now took three months instead of nine.

He said the government aims "to reduce the financial benefits for asylum seekers to make Cyprus an unattractive destination".

Asylum applications fell to 5,866 for the period from March to August, down from 11,961 for the same period of last year, according to interior ministry figures.

The government argues that Cyprus is a "frontline" country on the Mediterranean migration route, with asylum-seekers making up six percent of the 915,000 population in government-controlled areas –- the highest proportion in the bloc.

Although asylum applications are down, there has been a rise in migrants arriving by boat, with a 60 percent increase recorded in the first seven months of the year.



Syrian Government Forces Set to Re-enter Sweida Province

FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
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Syrian Government Forces Set to Re-enter Sweida Province

FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Members of Syrian security forces walk on a road in Sweida countryside, as vehicles transporting other Syrian security forces make their way out of the predominantly Druze city of Sweida, Syria, July 16, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri/File Photo

Renewed clashes broke out overnight between Druze armed groups and members of Bedouin clans in southern Syria, and government forces were preparing to deploy again to the area Friday after pulling out under a ceasefire agreement that halted several days of violence earlier this week, officials said.

Government security forces agreed with some of the Druze factions that they would re-enter the area to impose stability and protect state institutions, according to two Syrian officials who spoke Friday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Syrian government forces had largely pulled out of the Druze-majority southern province of Sweida after days of clashes.