President of Cyprus discusses illegal migration with Lebanese leadership

The President of the Republic of Cyprus is currently on an official visit to Beirut. Nikos Christodoulides discussed, with the country's leadership, cooperation between the two states in effectively managing immigration.

During his trip to Lebanon, the President of the Republic of Cyprus held a private meeting and extended negotiations with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, and then met with the Speaker of the country's parliament, Nabih Berri.

During the negotiations with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, it was noted that the immigration issue is common and that it also needs to be addressed jointly.

According to the president's press service, during the head of state's trip to Lebanon, a productive discussion took place, during which cooperation between the two countries was agreed upon with substantial assistance from the European Commission.

It is worth noting that over the past week, 15 boats with 786 illegal migrants have arrived from Lebanon to Cyprus. Since the beginning of the year, the number of Syrian refugees who have arrived is approaching 2,500.

Due to the sharply increased flow of illegal migrants, the National Security Council of the Republic of Cyprus convened for an emergency meeting.

The President of the country, Nikos Christodoulides, appealed to the head of the EU commission to intervene in the situation. Later, the head of state announced his intention to personally visit Lebanon on Monday.