Interior Minister Nicos Nouris has asked for the help of Unficyp in dealing with increased migration flows to the government-controlled areas through the UN-controlled buffer zone.

Nouris, who is on a visit to the US had a meeting at the United Nations with Director of the Office of the UN Secretary-General, Courtenay Rattray, in New York on Thursday during which they discussed the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as the problem of migration flows to Cyprus.

Nouris raised the issue of the alarming increase over the last period of migration flows through the buffer zone that divides the island, attributing it to instrumentalisation of migrants by Turkey and he requested Unficyp’s help to address the problem.

Rattray assured Nouris that he would inform the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the situation.

On Friday, Nouris will have a meeting at the United Nations with Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix.