Cyprus transferred 48 asylum seekers to Germany on Monday under a voluntary pilot scheme that will eventually see 500 relocated to help cope with a surge in migrants, authorities said.
The 48 applicants for international protection were moved from Cyprus to Germany through an EU solidarity system for voluntary relocation, the Cypriot Interior Ministry said.
Last year the EU member reported the highest number of asylum applicants per capita and Cyprus says it is at the forefront of the bloc's irregular migration.
"This is the first of a series of transfers that will take place in the coming months," the ministry said.
It said the transfer was made "in co-operation with the European Asylum Service, the European Commission, the International Organisation for Migration and the German authorities".
The German embassy in Nicosia said the first batch of asylum seekers were from Syria and Afghanistan.
UK coastguard responds to migrant emergency in English Channel - in pictures
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A life boat returns to the Port of Dover in England amid a rescue operation of a missing migrant boat. Reuters -
Police and coastguard officers gather at Dover. People are feared to have died after a small boat carrying migrants got into difficulty in the English Channel. Reuters -
Air Ambulance personnel arrive in Dover. EPA -
Forensic tents at the lifeboat rescue station are set up at the port. AP -
Ambulances at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) station in Dover. PA -
The RNLI station being readied to receive boats returning from the incident in the English Channel. PA -
An ambulance arrives at the port. PA
"This is the first relocation to my country but it is only the beginning, because Germany wants to take in more eligible persons soon to relieve the burden on Cyprus," ambassador Anke Schlimm said.
The Cypriot Interior Ministry said the EU had worked closely with member countries to ease the burden of irregular migration, especially among those considered "frontline states".
"Germany has accepted the relocation of 500 applicants," the ministry said.
"It contributes to addressing the migration challenges faced by the Mediterranean countries, especially Cyprus."
Dramatic clifftop rescue after migrants’ boat sinks in Greek waters - video
The relocations are funded by the EU and the UN migration agency.
Nicosia claims that asylum seekers comprise six per cent of the island's population of 915,000, a record figure across the EU.
A total of 18,345 people had applied for asylum as of October, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said earlier in December, compared with 13,325 for the whole of 2021.
