During a visit to Cyprus, the European Commission Vice President has said that Brussels could strike a deal with Lebanon to curb the number of migrant arrivals into the EU. Cyprus has recorded an increase in Syrian arrivals, many of whom disembarked on boats leaving from Lebanon.
The EU could reach an agreement with Lebanon to reduce the arrivals of undocumented migrants, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas announced on Friday (March 22).
Schinas said the deal could be established according to similar rules as the one signed with Egypt on March 17.
The announcement follows Cyprus' complaints that the Mediterranean island nation was recording a surge in irregular migrant arrivals from the Middle East.
"We had worked with Egypt for quite some time, but I consider that it's absolutely realistic to move in a corresponding manner with Lebanon," Schinas said during a visit to Cyprus, adding that adequate preparation for such a deal would be required.
Cyprus calls on EU to label parts of Syria safe
Cyprus is situated approximately 100 miles (160 km) from Lebanon and Syria. Most migrant departures of Syrian nationals take place from Lebanon, which hosts hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees and is suffering an ongoing economic crisis.
After meeting with Schinas, Cyprus' Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said his country was "facing asphyxiating pressure because of the large number of Syrians arriving…" and that it was the "conviction of several states that the time has come to collectively dare" to discuss with the EU to consider parts of Syria safe, which would allow authorities to repatriate migrants arriving from there.
To date this month, Cypriot authorities have recorded 533 irregular migrant arrivals by sea – compared to 36 in March last year. On March 11, 458 Syrians arrived in Cyprus on six small boats within a 24-hour span – with all of them having embarked on their journeys from Lebanon.
Ioannou added that the current Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza may yet engulf Lebanon and other Middle Eastern states, resulting potentially in further displacement, and that therefore it is vital for the EU to reach a collective decision on Syria.
Gross human rights abuses continue in Syria – Amnesty
Thirteen years ago, civil war broke out in Syria after people took to the streets to protest against the authoritarian government of President Bashar al-Assad. Hundreds of thousands of people have since been killed in the conflict, with more than 12 million confirmed displaced.
Parties to the Syrian war continue to commit gross human rights abuses with impunity, serious violations of international humanitarian law as well as crimes under international law, including war crimes, Amnesty International reported.
With AP and Reuters