Athens, July 9, (dpa/GNA) – Cypriot police on Friday morning apprehended 18 migrants who entered the south of the island from Turkey via the Turkish Cypriot north.
They were Syrian nationals, Cypriot state radio reported, citing the authorities.
Only a few days ago, 22 migrants had been apprehended. The steady but small number of crossings mean that last year, Cyprus had the highest rate of asylum applications of all EU states, in proportion to its population.
While in Germany, for example, there were about 1,200 applications per million inhabitants, the small EU state counted more than 8,400, according to EU statistics.
Smugglers usually bring people from Turkey, about 70 kilometres away, to the Turkish-Cypriot north of the island. From there, the migrants then reached the south via a hidden path, state radio reported.
Once migrants arrive in the south of the divided island, EU asylum law applies to them.
Cyprus has been divided since a Greek coup and a Turkish military intervention in 1974 into a Greek Cypriot part in the south and a Turkish Cypriot part in the north.
The whole island has been a member of the EU since 2004. However, EU law only applies in the south because of the division.
Only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
GNA