At the heart of debates and state policies for decades of global governance, the migration issue tends to become more and more an instrument of proxy war, in the same way as the proliferation of Western weapons in the theater of war in Ukraine since February 24, 2022.
Introduction
The exploitation of migratory waves to affect opposing national economies in a global context open to economic warfare appears today as a paradigm. This makes the management of the migration issue a problem with a global dimension that requires a well-coordinated global response. Both an object of bi- and multilateral consonance and an object of multidimensional dissonance, migration is part of the human mechanism fundamental to global dynamics. The reason it has no color is that it breaks the boundaries between states and even between continents.
The paradox of the migration question these days is that, when Westerners, in particular Europeans, sweep across other continents, they talk about humanitarianism, work stays, missions of expertise and consultancy, but when the others arrive at home, they demonize them by changing their rhetoric, thus making migration a crisis and a scourge that must be fought at all costs so that stability and tranquility reign in the European area. Isn’t it an evil of the century to want to go against the mobility of people when it is the same warlords who create centers of tension in the countries from which immigrants leave? The expropriation of the peoples of Middle Eastern Asia, Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America of their resources through conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crime by organized gangs , is the root of the migration problem which must be uprooted in order to resolve in a sustainable manner, it is said, “the migration crisis” which is plaguing the EU area.
European legislation on migration
The migration crisis within the European Union represents a complex, multifaceted issue, encompassing political, social, economic and humanitarian dimensions. Fueled by conflicts, persecution and economic difficulties in countries of origin, this issue requires in-depth and factual understanding. Armed conflicts, political persecution, human rights violations, as well as economic and environmental crises, as mentioned above, are the main drivers pushing people to migrate to the EU. Countries such as Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, devastated by wars, are driving millions to seek refuge elsewhere, as defined by the 1951 Geneva Convention. Economic and environmental factors, including climate change, are also significant catalysts for migration.
Recent statistics highlight the extent of this evolving phenomenon. According to the World Organization for Migration (IOM), in 2020, international migrants made up 3.6% of the global population, with a notable concentration in the United States and Europe. As of mid-2023, the majority of refugees came from just three countries, with Turkey, Germany and Colombia as the main host countries. And the three major sources of migrants – Turkey (wars in the Middle East), Germany (from Italy and Spain) and Colombia (from Nicaragua) – open the door to a neighboring country when the conditions of cooperation change slightly to their disadvantage.
The EU faces major challenges, including the limited reception capacity of some member states, precarious humanitarian conditions in refugee camps, the unequal distribution of asylum seekers and the need for secure border management. In response, the EU has adopted measures such as bilateral agreements, search and rescue operations at sea, increasing resettlement quotas and harmonizing standards for reception and processing of asylum applications.
Annita Demetriou’s reaction: leader of the main opposition party DISY and president of the Cypriot Parliament
Recently highlighted by the magazine “Cyprus Mail”, the critical analysis by Andria Kades, entitled “Disy calls on EU to deal with Africa over migration”, captured the attention of readers through its ability to synthesize and decipher with acuteness the major issues of Demetriou’s speech on migration. Reading this critical analysis allowed us to establish a reading note on Cyprus’ stated position on the issue of migration, the content of which is as follows:
Faced with the influx of refugees from the Middle East and North Africa, compared to other EU member states, Annita Demetriou (party leader) recently highlighted the impact of the situation in Gaza on the migration crisis, emphasizing the need for a common strategy within the European Union to alleviate the disproportionate burden Cyprus carries. She called for an acceleration of the processing of asylum applications and urged the EU to establish readmission agreements with African countries and other nations for systematic management of migratory flows. In his rhetorical adventure, Demetriou highlighted the importance of investing in African countries to stem emigration rather than channeling resources into reception, while preventing the loss of human lives at sea. In this perspective, she reiterated the need to designate safe zones in Syria to lift the automatic legal protection of Syrian nationals, while rejecting any policy of intolerance in the face of the migration crisis. This approach would involve a controversial dialogue with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.
Thus, in this speech, Demetriou called for intensifying FRONTEX patrols, developing and effectively implementing an EU action plan involving neighboring and home countries, including Lebanon. She stressed the need to reassess the Dublin Agreement for equitable sharing of responsibilities and strengthened solidarity with frontline countries in the relocation of migrants. Nationally, she highlighted the importance of setting up specialized teams to combat illegal employment and advocated robust integration policies for asylum seekers whose requests are accepted, in order to avoid ghettoization.
Annita Demetriou of DISY and President of the Cypriot Parliament, finally did not fail to insist on reinforced surveillance of the Cypriot coasts and the Green Line, stressing that the instrumentalization of the migration issue by Turkey and the demographic changes in the regions occupied Cyprus require increased vigilance and firm measures to achieve a comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus question.
In light of the above, we can deduce that, in the face of this migration crisis, a coordinated strategy and international cooperation are essential to balance security and respect for human rights. Cyprus’s Demetriou predicts an intensification of the refugee crisis, exacerbated by tensions in the Gaza Strip, and criticizes Brussels’ lack of commitment to finding solutions. This approach integrates complex perspectives, while remaining aligned with the principles of diplomacy and international cooperation.
Mohamed Lamine KABA – Expert in geopolitics of governance and regional integration, Institute of Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pan-African University, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.