The leaders of Greece, Cyprus, Italy and Malta made a joint statement on their meeting in Ayia Napa on the sidelines of the Summit on migration in relation to the conflict in the Middle East.
In the margins of the informal meeting of the members of the European Council in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the Heads of Government of the Hellenic Republic, the Italian Republic and the Republic of Malta met to discuss possible initiatives to be implemented in a coordinated and coherent manner, with the aim of preventing a migration crisis similar to the one of 2015, as recalled in the European Council Conclusions of 19 March 2026.
Reaffirming the importance of ongoing efforts to reach a swift diplomatic solution to the conflict, the four leaders also underlined the need to continue working closely with partners in the region to ensure the necessary assistance and support to affected populations. In their capacity as Member States located at the external borders of the European Union (EU) and directly exposed to possible uncontrolled migratory flows to the Union, they also considered a range of possible measures aimed at ensuring, if necessary and in full respect of international law, the security and effective management of the EU’s external borders.
Reaffirming the importance of a common European approach in order to maximise the effectiveness of their respective national responses to a possible significant increase in migratory flows linked to the conflict in the Middle East, the leaders of the Republic of Cyprus, the Hellenic Republic, the Italian Republic and the Republic of Malta instructed their Ministers responsible for Home Affairs and Migration to continue their close coordination, including by examining
