NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ president said Tuesday he will not “open another route” for irregular migration by allowing the passage of more than two dozen asylum seekers now stranded in a buffer zone controlled by the UN dividing the island nation.
President Nikos Christodoulides informed journalists that his government is ready to provide all necessary humanitarian assistance to the 27 Afghan, Cameroonian, Sudanese and Iranian migrants if the need arises.
However, he stated that the 180-kilometer (120-mile) buffer zone “will not become a new route for the passage of illegal migrants.” Turkey allows them to pass through its territory and allows them to board planes and ships bound for northern Cyprus, Christodoulides said.
Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup in Greece that favored the union of Cyprus with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes the independence of the Turkish Cypriots in the north of the island where it maintains a force of more than 35,000 troops.
Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004, but only the internationally recognized south enjoys the full benefits of membership and has the authority to extend asylum or international protection to migrants.
The UN said the 27 migrants – about half of whom are women and children – are receiving food, water, basic first aid and shelter through its refugee agency, the UNHCR, after Cypriot authorities denied them permission. possibility of presenting their asylum applications.
The UN said it has no mandate to process asylum claims and cannot send migrants back to the north or Turkey.
“We are making representations to the Republic of Cyprus to comply with its obligations under European Union law and international law,” U.N. peacekeeper spokesman Aleem Siddique told The Associated Press. “We are looking for a solution that works.”
The arrival of the migrants comes just days before local and European Parliament elections, where migration is a major campaign issue that has helped the far right make major gains.
Cyprus has in recent years seen a huge increase in migrants seeking asylum after coming north from Turkey and crossing the buffer zone. A combination of strict measures, including intensified police patrols along the southern buffer zone, expedited processing of asylum claims and streamlined repatriation procedures, have reduced such crossings by more than 85%, according to officials.
The island also experienced a large influx of Syrian refugees who arrived on the island by boat from Lebanon in the first quarter of the year. But an agreement with Lebanese authorities last month has effectively stopped such arrivals.
It is not the first time that migrants have been stranded in the buffer zone, and Cypriot authorities are worried about repeating the situation. In 2021, Cameroonian asylum seekers Grace Enjei and Daniel Ejuba, who were stuck in the buffer zone for six months, were brought to Italy along with some other migrants by Pope Francis at the end of his visit to Cyprus.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
