Addressing the migration issue involves a constant balancing act between upholding human rights and safeguarding state interests, said Nicholas A. Ioannides, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, on Friday.
Ioannides participated in a discussion with students at the University of Nicosia titled “Energy, International and European Law: The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean and Greece-Cyprus Relations,” organised by the think tank SYNERGIA as part of the University of Nicosia course “Applications of International and European Law.”
Referring to the migration issue that has concerned Europe since the 2015-2016 refugee crisis, Ioannides noted that -due to distortions stemming from a lack of rules and the pressure exerted on frontline states (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain) by migration flows- the European Union decided to establish the Pact on Migration and Asylum, which entered into force in June 2026.
Thanks to the measures taken by Cyprus, “we managed to reduce migration flows by 90% and increase returns; our goal is to have a sustainable asylum system so that we can provide the support and protection to which asylum seekers are entitled,” he emphasised. “What we are engaged in is a constant balancing act between the obligation to safeguard human rights and the need to protect our states’ interests,” he explained.
On his part, Orestis Omran, President of the think tank SYNERGIA, noted that Cyprus managed -despite the “heinous” Turkish occupation and various threats- not only to explore its hydrocarbon reserves but also to exploit them within a very short timeframe. Cyprus timely delimited its maritime zones with neighbouring states in order to proceed with the exploitation of these reserves, he added.
Referring to the Greece-Cyprus energy interconnection cable, the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI), Omran described it as “a titanic project fraught with difficulties,” characterising Turkey as a “permanent objector” that “rejects the rules of customary international law.”
Neither Cyprus nor Greece will back down from their positions regarding the GSI -nor will Turkey, he said- adding, however, that this does not prevent Cyprus and Greece from exploring alternative routes and laying the cable.