NICOSIA, Dec 19 (Xinhua): Cyprus repatriated a group of 258 Vietnamese immigrants who were allegedly staying illegally in the eastern Mediterranean island, an official statement said on Saturday night (Dec 18).
It said that the repatriation, in cooperation with the government of Vietnam, was made on a special flight on Friday.
It was the first such repatriation announced by Cyprus, which said that it has reached its limits in hosting immigrants and asylum seekers.
The Ministry of Interior said that several thousand immigrants, from Turkey, Syria and other Asian and African countries, arrived illegally in the past few months.
The Interior Ministry said that it is trying to maximize immigrants' returns through bilateral agreements with third countries and strengthening cooperation with international and European organizations.
Cyprus has claimed that it has the largest concentration of immigrants among European Union countries, making up four percent of its population. Enditem
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