Christodoulides “We are not in a position to accept any more Syrian refugees”

Greek Cypriot Leader Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday that “Cyprus is not in a position to accept any more Syrian refugees.”
In an interview with the Editor Network Germany (RND), he said “Enough is enough. We are at our limit and can no longer cope with this flow of refugees.That’s why I asked the EU for help and decided to suspend the processing of new asylum applications. For us it is a matter of national security. We are no longer in a position to meet this challenge”.
Christodoulides expressed hope that the conflict in the Middle East will not escalate and stressed that Cyprus, which is the EU member-state with the closest proximity to the region, maintains excellent relations with all parties involved.
Regarding the use of two British military bases in Cyprus, he stated that there is no prior information that the British will use them, and clarified that Cyprus is not involved in any way in military actions.
Christodoulides also announced that the maritime corridor from Cyprus for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza “can be restarted very soon”, as the temporary port off Gaza, which is a US military construction, will be made available.
Christodoulides further said he is not satisfied with the EU’s engagement on the Middle East issue so far, stressing that the Union should play a much more important role in both the de-escalation of the crisis and the negotiations for the two-state solution.
The crisis in the Middle East has implications for the security of Europe, but also in the field of migration, he noted, while he welcomed the fact that on 2 May he will visit Lebanon together with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, where they will announce – on Cyprus’ initiative – a specific package of EU economic measures, including support for Lebanese institutions, for example the Lebanese armed forces, which are a factor of stability.
“It is a long-term plan, and Lebanon and the EU must keep their commitments for it to succeed,” Christodoulides stressed, explaining that the aim of the agreement is for the EU to assist Lebanon in managing migration, so that no more migrants come to Cyprus.
“It’s a really important issue because in the last two or three months Syrians have been arriving almost daily from Lebanon to Cyprus. But we are an island country and (these) people remain in Cyprus”, he noted, saying that currently 7% of the population of Cyprus are immigrants.
( Source CNA)