The Cypriot government is reviewing a recent European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decision that condemned Cyprus for pushing back Syrian asylum seekers to Lebanon in 2020, according to Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis.
Letymbiotis said that since taking office, the current administration has managed migration “within the framework of international and European law and international legality.”
He stated there are currently no pushbacks taking place, adding that Cyprus’s approach to migration management “has been welcomed many times by all the relevant bodies”.
Addressing potential increased migrant arrivals due to the wars in the Middle East, Letymbiotis said authorities are monitoring developments closely. He noted that if necessary, the “Nafkratis” plan could be activated, though Cyprus currently “can manage the situation” despite its limited capacity given its size and proximity to conflict areas.
When questioned about the stranded migrants in the buffer zone who are unable to apply for asylum, Letymbiotis urged consideration of “the root cause” of their presence, noting they had come from a country considered safe.
He suggested the need to examine “the root causes of migration at the European level”.
The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) has criticised Cypriot authorities for pushing back asylum seekers to the UN buffer zone, despite repeated objections.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in June also accused Cypriot authorities of pushing back people to the buffer zone after they entered the Pournara reception centre to apply for asylum.
Deputy Minister of Immigration and International Protection, Nicholas Ioannides said that the government does not want the buffer zone turning into an “immigrant corridor” and stressed that Cyprus will not grant entry to the stranded migrants.
Nicosia has been lobbying the European Union to declare parts of Syria as safe for repatriation and has terminated the examination of asylum applications from Syrian nationals.
However, the U.N. human rights office has stated that based on evidence it has gathered, Syrian refugees who fled the ongoing Syrian civil war are facing gross human rights violations such as torture and abduction on their return to Syria, while women are subject to sexual harassment and violence.
