Cyprus government plans to integrate migrants

Cyprus is developing a new ‘Strategic Plan for the Integration of Legally Residing Migrants’, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection Nicholas Ioannides announced on Friday at the closing conference of a project aimed at expanding intercultural integration structures and policies.

Speaking at the event, Ioannides emphasised that migrant integration is not only a social challenge but an opportunity to “build a community based on mutual respect, understanding and cooperation, whilst ensuring social cohesion, public order and national security”.

The conference, where Director Lambros Kaoullas delivered the minister’s speech, marked the completion of a European Commission-funded project that began in late 2023.

The initiative, implemented by the Council of Europe in collaboration with Cyprus’s Department of Migration, aimed to strengthen existing integration structures established between 2021 and 2023.

A key component of the project was the operation of local intercultural integration networks across five districts in the government-controlled areas of Cyprus.

These networks facilitate cooperation between state authorities, local governments, and civil society organisations, with the state maintaining central coordination.

The networks have implemented various integration initiatives, including historical walking tours to familiarise migrants with Cypriot history and culture, innovative Greek language courses, cultural events organised with migrant communities, and informational seminars.

Ioannides highlighted that the project revealed the crucial role of local government in migrant integration policies and the importance of collaboration between state institutions, local authorities, and civil society organisations in implementing social policy.

The minister concluded by noting that Cyprus’s location at the crossroads of three continents has historically influenced population movements, stating that “Cyprus has a tradition of peaceful coexistence between Cypriots and other peoples”.

In-Cyprus