For the past decade, Cyprus, the EU’s easternmost state and the closest to the Middle East, has stood as one of the EU’s frontline states when it comes to the migration crisis. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza are now raising new questions about migration and regional security. Nicholas Ioannides, the Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection of Cyprus, joins Thanos Davelis to break down these shifting dynamics on migration and on the security front, and explore how cooperation with partners in the region, the EU, and the US, is going to be critical in tackling these challenges.

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Hundreds of Syrians drop asylum bids in Cyprus since Assad’s fall, minister says

More than 1,000 Syrians have withdrawn asylum applications in Cyprus, another 500 have returned home

Poland will not implement Migration Pact, Donald Tusk tells Ursula von der Leyen

US leadership key to Middle East stability, experts say at 6th Southeast Europe Forum

Dendias highlights Greece’s strategic role in US foreign policy

Turkish Navy continues to shadow Greek surveys north of Crete