Immigration, maritime border on table during Rajji's meeting with Cypriot ambassador

Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji welcomed the Cypriot ambassador to Lebanon, Maria Hadjitheodosiou, on Monday at Bustros Palace, where they notably discussed the issue of irregular immigration and the delimitation of the maritime border between the two countries.

According to a message posted on Rajji's official X account, the meeting allowed for "discussion on the demarcation of the maritime border between Lebanon and Cyprus, as well as the issue of illegal migration and other regional issues."

First, the maritime border was discussed. On Oct. 27, 2022, Lebanon signed a historic agreement with Israel to chart their maritime border. With the adoption of line 23 between the two countries, point 23 now stands as the tripartite meeting point between the maritime borders of Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel.

Regarding the maritime border, a first agreement signed in 2007 on the delimitation of territorial waters between Beirut and Nicosia was never ratified by the Lebanese Parliament. At stake is the delimitation, particularly of "point 1," considered the tripartite meeting point between Lebanon, Cyprus and Israel, in a dossier that has been stalled for years. The issue of illegal migrants landing on the island of Cyprus from Lebanon has also been a source of tension between Nicosia and Beirut in recent months. Cyprus, the easternmost state of the European Union and closest to the Middle East, is approximately 160 kilometers west of the Lebanese or Syrian coasts.

During the Bustros Palace meeting, Rajji and Hadjitheodosiou stressed "the need for enhanced cooperation" between the two countries, and the ambassador "reaffirmed her country's commitment to ensuring support for Lebanon within the European Union."