EU signs new migration deal with Lebanon in return for financial aid: What's in the deal?
Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Union (EU) Commission, signed a new migration agreement with Lebanon for financial assistance.
Von der Leyen went to Lebanon with Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides.
After a tripartite meeting held by Von der Leyen, Hristodulidis and Lebanese Prime Minister Necip Mikati, an agreement was signed to reduce the number of refugees coming to the European Union .
The European Union has promised to provide financial and logistical support to Lebanon in exchange for preventing the flow of refugees.
Equipment and training will also be provided to the Lebanese army and other security forces in border management and anti-trafficking.
Von der Leyen noted that 1 billion euros of aid under the agreement will be used for Syrian refugees as well as for the people of Lebanon.
The EU supports Lebanon in terms of economic, financial and banking reforms, as well as basic services such as education, social protection and health.
The European Union administration, which has pledged to provide material and financial support to the Lebanese security forces to prevent illegal immigration and human trafficking, has also pledged to resettle some of the Lebanese refugees in Europe.
The visit of von der Leyen and Christodoulides is aimed at preventing the flow of refugees from Lebanon to Cyprus.
Another goal of the visit is to send a message to the far right, which is exploiting the immigration issue with the new immigration deal ahead of the European Parliament elections .
According to estimates, in the first quarter of last year, 78 people from Lebanon, where there are approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees, crossed illegally to Cyprus, while this number has exceeded 2 thousand in the same period of this year.
The Cypriot government has asked for help from the Brussels administration to prevent an increase in the number of refugees arriving illegally.
After an extraordinary meeting of the Council of the European Union on April 17-18, it was agreed to conclude a new agreement with Lebanon in exchange for financial assistance .
The meeting decided that the EU administration would " support the most vulnerable people in Lebanon, including refugees, internally displaced persons and host communities" .
The need to ensure the conditions for the "safe, voluntary and dignified return" of Syrian refugees was also emphasized at the meeting of the European Union Commission.
Head of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who visited Nicosia on Wednesday, left today for Beirut with the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulis.
Since 2011, the EU Commission has provided more than 3 billion euros in financial assistance to Lebanon . About €2.6 billion of this was spent on supporting Syrian refugees and host communities in Lebanon.
