Cyprus will send security forces to Greece to help protect borders from migrants

The Republic of Cyprus will send national security forces to Greece to help Athens protect its borders from the influx of migrants.  This was reported by the official representative of the Cypriot government in the rank of Minister KiriyakosKushos.

The latter did not specify which representatives of which particular units of the national security forces or law enforcement agencies would go to the Balkans, but said that the decision to send them there was made following along telephone conversation that had been held by the President of Cyprus Nikos Anastasiadis with the Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis.  During this conversation, the leaders of the two countries discussed the development of events taking into account the migration policy carried out by Turkey, as well as those incidents that occur on the Greek-Turkish border.

It was also said that Anastasiadis and Mitsotakis agreed on a common position that they intend to adhere to during their joint telephone conversation scheduled for Sunday evening with European Council President Charles Michel, preceding talks between the President of the European Council scheduled for Monday in Brussels with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and  German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

In late February, after a clash with the Syrian army, in which 36 Turkish soldiers were killed, Ankara decided not to stop the refugees from Syria who are trying to get into the EU.  Turkish authorities estimated the number of refugees crossing the border at 100 thousand people.  The European Union is negotiating with Turkey to resolve the situation and promises support for those facing refugees in Greece, Bulgaria, and Cyprus.  The border between Turkey and the EU has been closed for migrants since 2016 under the agreement of Brussels and Ankara on a visa-free regime, which, however, was never introduced.