President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, has stressed the need to invest in long term and sustainable solutions to address the immigration crisis.

The President, who was speaking at the European Political Community Summit, hosted in Budapest, referred to the immigration burden for Cyprus, noting that asylum seekers amount to 6% of the population and that Cyprus' capacity to receive and accommodate more immigrants is limited.

A written statement by Deputy Government Spokesperson Yiannis Antoniou says that the President of the Republic reiterated the proposal of Cyprus, supported by other countries, for cooperation with international organisations operating in Syria, such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, so as to create the conditions for a safe and dignified repatriation of Syrians who leave Lebanon and other countries in the war-torn Middle East region.

He also said there must be a substantive support of countries in the region, through officially established actions and comprehensive agreements, giving as an example the EU agreements with Egypt and Lebanon. 

President Christodoulides also said that the Republic of Cyprus is in favour of actions against illegal trafficking, exploitation and instrumentalization of people, always within the framework of European and International Law and with respect for human rights.