Rising numbers of migrants arriving have left Cyprus in “a state of serious crisis,” the country’s President Nikos Christodoulides said Wednesday as he called for the EU to step in.
More than 2,000 people arrived in Cyprus by sea in the first three months of 2024, compared to just 78 in the same period last year, according to Cypriot government data.
Christodoulides called for EU aid to Lebanon to be contingent on it blocking migrants’ departures.
“The EU provides significant financial assistance to Lebanon both for the country itself and for hosting Syrian migrants, and I have asked the [European Commission] president herself to contact the Lebanese authorities,” Christodoulides said, adding that this financial aid cannot be handed over to Lebanon if the migrant flows continue.
Military escalations on the Lebanese-Israeli border mean that Beirut authorities have focused less on stemming migration in recent months, according to the Cypriot interior ministry.
Two boats carrying 263 migrants arrived Tuesday night to Cyprus, raising the number of arrivals since Sunday to a total of 761, according to local authorities.
The Mediterranean island, with a population of 1.2 million, is the closest EU member country to Lebanon. The boats arrive in different parts of the island carrying mainly male Syrian asylum-seekers, according to Cypriot authorities. The sea journey from Lebanon or Syria to Cyprus takes about 10 hours.
Migration is one of the main issues on the agenda in Cyprus ahead of the European election. Polls show that the far-right ELAM party has climbed to third place.
Cyprus wants the EU to designate parts of Syria as safe for migratory returns. Austria, Sweden and Denmark are also pushing the EU toward tougher migration policies. Austria is teaming up with Denmark to push the EU to start considering sending migrants back to Syria, an act currently illegal in the EU.
Christodoulides will meet von der Leyen in Athens on Sunday on the sidelines of Greece’s ruling New Democracy party conference.
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