MIGRATION: Cyprus and Lebanon agree to stem illegal migrants

Cyprus and Lebanon on Tuesday agreed to work closer together to stem the influx of irregular migrants arriving on the island by boat following a recent upsurge of asylum seekers.

During his visit to Nicosia, Lebanese National Defence Minister Elias Bou Saab said he discussed with Cypriot counterpart Savvas Angelides the refugee crisis which affects both countries.

"We spoke about a way to coordinate our actions because many times even the navy in Lebanon has stopped some of the illegal immigrants that were trying to come to Cyprus," Saab told reporters.

He said Nicosia and Beirut were looking at issues of information sharing and better coordination so that they can closely cooperate to prevent such arrivals.

Cyprus says it has come under pressure from increased irregular migration flows ranking it top in first-time asylum claims per capita.

Nicosia said new asylum claims shot up by 130 per cent in July to 7812 compared to 2018 with more than 12,000 still pending.

Syrian nationals account for over 26 per cent of the overall irregular migratory influx to Cyprus from 2016 onwards.

Cyprus is located 100 miles (160 kilometres) from Syria’s Mediterranean coast, has not seen the massive inflow of migrants experienced by Turkey and Greece.

Saab said Lebanon and Cyprus were reviewing the possibility of coordinating their navies given regional energy exploration.

Angelides said that Saab`s presence proves Cyprus’ determination to further strengthen and deepen bilateral relations in the areas of security and defence.

"We discussed specific measures to address terrorism and new asymmetric threats as well as ways of dealing with the consequences of the migration crisis," Angelides said.

Lebanon also thanked Cyprus for the “valuable help” it offered in sending two aircraft to tackle wildfires.

"We both agree on the need to further strengthen our cooperation also in this important area of natural disasters and emergencies," Angelides said.