Ioannou to take part in informal meeting of EU Home Affairs Ministers

Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou will travel to Brussels to take part in the work of the informal meeting of Home Affairs Ministers where he will reiterate the position of the Republic of Cyprus to reassess at EU level the real conditions in Syria in order to identify safe ways to promote returns to the country.

An official press release said the focus of the informal meeting on 25 January will be on the situation in Ukraine and the status of displaced persons from Ukraine in the European Union.

The Commission will also present an update on the migration situation in the EU and on the main migration routes. The Council Presidency will, in cooperation with the Commission, reflect on the agreement reached on the reform of the EU asylum and migration system in December and take stock of other legislative files that remain on the negotiation table. 

Ioannou is expected to raise the issue of creating conditions in the host countries to ensure that Ukrainian citizens have access to health and education services, the labour market and social support programmes.

The Cypriot Minister will underline the need to build on and adapt the actions implemented in the case of Ukrainian nationals, in order to address the major challenges posed by migration in general. In this context, Ioannou will reiterate the position of the Republic of Cyprus for a re-evaluation at EU level of the actual conditions in Syria, in order to identify safe ways to promote returns to the country. The Minister returns home on 26 January.

(Source: CNA)

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