Cyprus and Pakistan agree to cooperate on migrant repatriations

The foundations were laid for the cooperation between Cyprus and Pakistan in the return of migrants, during a meeting between the Interior Minister, Nicos Nouris, and the Director General of the Interior Ministry of Pakistan, Momin Agha on Monday.

According to a press release by the Interior Ministry of Cyprus, Nouris informed the Pakistani official about the migration problem faced by the Republic of Cyprus. They also discussed the procedures in order to facilitate the return of Pakistani nationals whose asylum applications had been rejected by the Cyprus authorities.

The press release says that given the fact that many of the Pakistani nationals who arrive illegally in the Republic "are being exploited by migrant smuggling rings", the suggestion of the Interior Minister was to conduct an information campaign in Pakistan so that those intending to travel to Cyprus are aware of the realities.

The meeting took place in the presence of representatives of FRONTEX and the European Commission, who are expected to support the effort for returns.