Cyprus Suspends Syrian Asylum Applications

Cyprus will no longer process asylum applications by those arriving from Syria, President Nikos Christodoulides announced, as a large number of people from the war-torn country continue to flee to the island nation.

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The Cypriot government said the suspension is also partly because of ongoing efforts to get the European Union to redesignate some areas of the war-torn country as safe zones to enable repatriations.

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More than 4,000 migrants and refugees have arrived in Cyprus since the beginning of this year, compared to only 78 in the first quarter of 2023.

Based on the size of its population, Cyprus takes in by far the largest share of migrants in the European Union.