(AFP) Cyprus struck a deal Monday with the European Union to help it handle a large migrant influx to the divided Mediterranean island, which Nicosia says is the highest per capita in the EU.
The agreement will make it easier for Cyprus to send back failed asylum seekers and help upgrade its overcrowded reception facilities.
The Republic of Cyprus accuses Turkey, whose troops have since 1974 occupied the island’s northern third, of encouraging much of the influx of Syrian refugees and arrivals from sub-Saharan Africa across the UN-patrolled Green Line that divides the island.
The memorandum of understanding was signed by Cypriot Interior Minister Nicos Nouris and EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, who attended virtually.
