Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Commission in Brussels said that President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Beirut on Thursday, accompanied by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. According to the weekly agenda of the head of the European Union’s executive body, the talks in the Lebanese capital will include both Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri.
Cyprus, a member of the European Union, finds itself in a critical situation due to the influx of refugees. The boats carrying the migrants come mainly from Lebanon, mostly carrying Syrian refugees. Now European money must help stop this.
According to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, work is now underway to reach an agreement with Lebanon, which shares borders with Syria and Israel, in order to prevent the flow of more Syrian refugees to the European Union through Lebanon.
The President of Cyprus, a republic affiliated with the European Union, said in an interview with the German editorial network RND published a few days ago: “We want to help Lebanon deal with refugees so that more of them do not come to Cyprus.”
He explained that he intends to travel to Lebanon on the second of next May with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to announce a concrete financial package from the European Union.
However, Christodoulides stressed that the package will include not only financial aid, but also support for Lebanese institutions such as the armed forces, which are considered a stabilizing factor in the country.
Christodoulides described the current situation in Cyprus as embarrassing. It is reported that since the beginning of the year, 4,000 migrants have arrived in Cyprus, compared to only 78 during the first quarter of last year.
Lebanon, which is located about 160 kilometers from Cyprus, is suffering from the worst economic crisis in its history, and one of the worst crises in the world since the middle of the 19th century, according to the World Bank. The Lebanese local currency lost more than 95% of its value.

Stop dealing with asylum applications submitted by Syrians
Migrants usually try to reach Cyprus by sea from the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon. Most of those arriving in Cyprus are Syrian refugees who previously lived in Lebanon. Christodoulides said that he requested help from the European Union and that there should also be a discussion about people coming from Syria about granting them asylum in the European Union. He added: “We explicitly demand that certain areas in Syria be classified as safe areas.”
Refugee camps in Cyprus are witnessing severe overcrowding, and the authorities have stopped dealing with asylum applications submitted by Syrians at the present time. The country of 5.3 million people is home to more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees. This makes it one of the countries that has received the largest number of refugees relative to its population.
Experts see various factors behind this latest development - most notably the tensions in the region and the uncertainty caused by the new war in the Gaza Strip, which has now continued for more than six months.
The European Union recently reached new cooperation and support agreements with Egypt and Tunisia, which would provide financial aid worth billions to the two countries.