Cyprus reduced migration flows by 90%, deputy minister says

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus has reduced migration flows by 90 per cent, Deputy Migration Minister Nicholas Ioannides said on Friday at a discussion at the University of Nicosia. He described migration management as a continuous balancing act between protecting human rights and safeguarding the interests of the state.

Migration measures and asylum management

Ioannides said Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Spain had faced considerable pressure as countries of first arrival during the 2015–2016 migration crisis, partly because of shortcomings and imbalances in the rules in place at the time.

These challenges had contributed to the development of the European Union’s Pact on Migration and Asylum, which began applying in June 2026, he said.

Cyprus had since implemented several measures aimed at reducing migration flows and improving the management of asylum applications, he added.

“We managed to reduce migration flows by 90 per cent, we increased returns, and our goal is to have a sustainable asylum system so that we can provide the support and protection that asylum seekers are entitled to,” he said.

Maritime rights and obligations

Ioannides also outlined key developments in the law of the sea, the branch of international law governing maritime rights and obligations.

He said that although Turkey was not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, it derived rights from its provisions and was bound by relevant obligations. The same applied to other non-parties, including Israel and Libya, he said.

Referring to agreements on the delimitation of maritime zones in the Eastern Mediterranean, Ioannides said Turkey was laying claim to half of the Aegean Sea and the entire Eastern Mediterranean.

“Greece or any state does not need to have declared an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) to exploit their undersea resources,” he said, emphasising the distinction between the extension of maritime zones and their delimitation.

He also explained that issuing a Navtex maritime notice did not, in itself, diminish another state’s sovereign rights.