Republic of Cyprus Suspends Syrian Asylum Applications

Following a decision by the Republic of Cyprus, all new asylum applications submitted by Syrian nationals will not be examined, exercising the right provided by the relevant European tools in cases of increased and exceptional migration flows, stated Loizos Hadjivasiliou, Director of the Minister of Interior’s Office.

These individuals, he said, will be able to submit their application and subsequently will be transferred to reception centres where they will be provided with basic reception conditions, namely food and shelter, without the right to housing benefits.

Those who choose to leave the reception centre will not receive benefits.

Pending the completion of efforts at the EU level to determine specific safe areas in Syria, he added, the examination of asylum applications will be suspended.

These individuals, he said, like all asylum applicants, will not have access to employment for the first nine months.

He noted that the decision was made as a result of increased migration flows from Lebanon and will apply to all new arrivals from the day of the decision, which was yesterday, Sunday, when 22 arrivals were recorded.

Responding to a question, he said that there are currently ten thousand pending applications, both older and recent ones, and their applications will not proceed.

Today, a letter will be sent to the Commission informing that Nicosia is activating a relevant directive suspending the examination of applications within the provided margin, namely 21 months.

On Saturday, President Nikos Christodoulides stated in a post on Platform X that “Due to the mass arrival of Syrian asylum seekers recently via the maritime route, and pending developments regarding the reassessment of Syria’s status, the examination of asylum applications for all individuals of Syrian origin is suspended”.

Following a meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday, Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou stated “It was also decided to immediately revoke the status of subsidiary protection or reject applications from individuals who have demonstrably travelled back to areas of Syria over the last 12 months via the occupied territories”.

“These individuals will cease to have access to any rights stemming from the temporary protection status, and efforts will be made for their repatriation either voluntarily or through compulsory deportation when and if this becomes possible”, he continued.

“The situation is continuously being evaluated, and decisions will be made based on planning and according to developments. The situation is under control, and our actions aim to address potential risks,” he concluded.

Source: In-Cyprus