Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what agreement has been reached with the government of Cyprus on repatriation of refugees that have recently arrived at Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area.

Penny Mordaunt

No agreement exists with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus on repatriation of 115 refugees who arrived at RAF Akrotiri in the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) in October 2015. Since 2003, under a Memorandum of Understanding agreed with the Republic of Cyprus, those seeking asylum will have their claim processed by Republic of Cyprus asylum specialists on behalf of the SBA Administration. All migrants who are not eligible for asylum or do not apply for asylum are liable under SBA law for removal and repatriation to their country of origin, residency or embarkation.