Number of irregular migrant arrivals from Turkiye fell in March, ministry reports
The number of irregular arrivals of migrants from Turkiye continued to drop in March, according to figures released by the migration and asylum ministry on Monday, which showed that the number of arrivals - 2,231 in total during the month - was 41.7% lower than in February and 80.5% lower than in September 2023.
The ministry also reported a further reduction in March of the backlog of asylum seekers waiting to be processed, with the number of third-country nationals hosted in the 33 reception facilities throughout the country down to 23,245 in March from 27,554 in February - a reduction of 15.6%. The reduction relative to January was even larger, at 25.9%. The decline was even greater in the facilities on the islands of the Eastern Aegean, where the occupants were 40.9% fewer than in January.
According to the migration ministry, almost all refugees who are granted asylum will then travel on to Europe. Those whose asylum requests are rejected begin the process for their return to their country of origin, reducing the pressure on the migrant reception system and its capacity to absorb future increases in migration pressure.
The ministry also considers that the decline in arrivals is not a seasonal effect but noted that the constantly deteriorating international environment does not allow complacency, as there is rising migration pressure on Cyprus from Lebanon, Italy from North Africa and the Canary Islands from West Africa.
AMNA-filephoto
