Press Releases

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all tonight in Pafos, in the beautiful area of Akamas, for the 4^th (Fourth) MED5 Ministerial summit.

The Mediterranean Member States have created a powerful pillar of collaboration, based on common interests and challenges. Most importantly, our collaboration is based on mutual respect and understanding. These meetings have become the core of our coordinated efforts toward the effective management of the disproportionate migratory pressure that our countries, as guardians of the Union’s external borders are faced with. And in this context, we have achieved a lot.

We have repeatedly highlighted our commitment to achieving our common aim of reaching an Agreement on the European Pact on Migration and Asylum on the condition it ensures a balance between responsibility and effective solidarity.

The MED5 willingness to move forward with the Pact is unquestionable, as was already clear with its support for the adoption of the EUAA Regulation. We have several times demonstrated sincere concession and genuine solidarity as in the case of Lithuania, following the instrumentalization of migrants by the Belarusian Government.

Our response to the Ukrainian crisis was also immediate and, despite the highly disproportionate migratory flows experienced by our own countries, we have received thousands of Ukrainian displaced persons, providing them with protection, shelter, medical care, access to education, and all the rights deriving from the relevant Council decision. 

This is the reason why we are very proud of our common achievement in ensuring a solidarity scheme that includes relocation of applicants for international protection from the Mediterranean countries to other Member States. It is clear that without concrete support and genuine acts of solidarity by our EU counterparts, we will not be able to handle the migratory flows toward our countries.

Over the past five years, Cyprus has been the Member State with the highest number of first-time applications for international protection in relation to its population. The proportion of applicants and beneficiaries for international protection in Cyprus corresponds to more than 5% of the country’s population.

The systematic and ongoing instrumentalization of migrants by Turkey and the deliberate ‘pushing’ of migrants via the ‘Green Line’, makes it absolutely necessary that the Line is efficiently monitored, without it being considered a border.

In this context, I would personally like to express my sincere gratitude for your support in our efforts to ensure that our EU counterparts accept that the monitoring of the Green Line is the most effective measure to prevent influx not only to the areas under the effective control of the Republic but also to the European Union itself.

Dear friends,

The success of the MED5 ministerial summits encourages us to be even more assertive of our requests in managing the clearly disproportionate migratory flows, in proportion to our increased responsibilities arising from guarding the Union’s external borders.

I am convinced that fruitful and interesting discussions will take place during these two days and I wish you all a successful summit and a pleasant stay in Cyprus.

(The text as sent by the House of Representatives)