At their meeting in Nicosia (Greek: Lefkosia), Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and Cyprus President Nikos Anastasiadis pushed for a solution to the problem of “illegal migration”, which is a major problem for both countries. During their meeting yesterday after a reception with military honors, they also discussed energy supply issues as a result of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the unresolved issue of the partition of Cyprus.
The Chancellor was accompanied by Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP), especially since a visit to the UNFICYP peacekeeping force was another focus of the visit to the divided Mediterranean island. Austria ended its participation in 2001, but is still represented there with three staff officers and two civilian employees.
Anastasiadis complained that last year the largest number of “illegal migrants” applied for asylum in Cyprus. Around five percent of the people in Cyprus are asylum seekers. Nehammer emphasized that Austria is also facing similar challenges and called for stronger protection of the EU’s external borders. The Federal Chancellor also emphasized the need for “green corridors” to ensure grain deliveries from the Ukraine to countries from which further waves of emigration threatened due to hunger crises.