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Cyprus will relocate dozens of foreign nationals who have been camping along the ceasefire line for months, Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides said Tuesday. Ioannides, speaking after an Interior Committee meeting in parliament, estimated the transfer will happen within two to three weeks, as some countries have agreed to accept these individuals. However, he did not disclose which countries would host the relocated migrants.
"We don’t want temporary camps in the dead zone," Ioannides said, emphasizing that Cyprus is working to resolve the situation, which he described as problematic. He added that the Republic of Cyprus cannot shoulder what he called "the burden of Turkey’s omissions," claiming that Turkey had allowed these individuals to reach Cyprus via flights or boats to the occupied territories in the north.
Ioannides further argued that Cyprus cannot be responsible for the actions of a neighboring country that "does not fulfill its international obligations." According to accounts from the migrants themselves, many had traveled through Turkey to reach the island.
During the committee meeting, officials also discussed the removal of barbed wire along parts of the ceasefire line, which had been installed to restrict movement. Ioannides said the wire will be repurposed for National Guard use or other state needs, with removal work expected to begin soon.
