Frontex official praises Cyprus for immigration strategy

Head of the Frontex Liaison Office for Greece and Cyprus Grigorios Apostolou has praised Cyprus for its successful strategy to manage immigration.

Following a meeting with Minister of the Interior Constantinos Ioannou, Apostolou said he was informed in detail about the policy implemented by the Cypriot Government regarding immigration, which focuses, among other things, on reducing arrivals and increasing returns.

According to a press release by the Ministry of the Interior, the Frontex official praised the Minister and the Republic of Cyprus for its successful strategy in managing immigration. Ioannou praised the role and importance of Frontex in the region and especially its presence in Cyprus. He said that the tightening of EU border controls by Frontex will contribute to better border surveillance along the Eastern Mediterranean route and prevent irregular arrivals.

The press release says that the strengthening of cooperation between Europol, Frontex and Eurojust is included in the provisions of the Action Plan for the Eastern Mediterranean and aims, among other things, to combating migrant trafficking rings.

The two officials had the opportunity to exchange views on further strengthening the cooperation of the Republic of Cyprus with Frontex in the field of returns. The Minister of the Interior said that through a series of measures implemented by Cyprus, it was possible to increase the total number of departures by 66% compared to last year.

Apostolou congratulated the Minister on the commitment and efficiency of the Republic in relation to the management of immigration. He also conveyed the readiness of Frontex to continue its support to Cyprus and strengthen cooperation for even better results, for the benefit of the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union more broadly.