Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides stated that he will not “open another pathway” for irregular migration and will not allow the passage of approximately 27 asylum seekers currently stranded in the buffer zone. President Christodoulides explained to reporters that his government is ready to provide any and/or all humanitarian assistance to the approximately 27 asylum seekers from Afghan, Cameroonian, Sudanese, and Iranian nationalities if the need arises. However, he emphasized that the “buffer zone, which is 180 kilometers long, will not become a new hub for irregular migrants”. He added: “Turkey allows them to pass through its territory and enables them to board planes and boats heading towards Northern Cyprus.”
The United Nations noted that the "twenty-seven migrants, almost half of whom are women and children, are receiving food, water, basic aid, and shelter from the Refugee Agency after Cypriot authorities refused to accept their asylum requests." The UN confirmed that “it does not have the mandate to deal with asylum requests and cannot return migrants to the north or to Turkey.” Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping force, Alim Siddiq, said, “We are trying to ask Cyprus to fulfill its obligations under the European Union and international law, and we are looking for an effective solution.”
