"Go and see"...Europe is considering allowing Syrians to visit their country.

Deputy Minister of Migration and Asylum Protection of Cyprus, "Nicolas Yianides," said that "the European Union is considering allowing Syrian refugees to visit their country under an initiative called 'Go and See,' but with restrictions. He added, as reported by Cypriot media outlets including the website "sigma live," that "the new electronic entry and exit registration system, including fingerprints, will be ready at the borders of the European Union as of next October." He further stated that "the plan will take some time before all EU member states agree on it." He pointed out that "his country supports the establishment of a comprehensive and effective legal framework governing the return of third-country nationals 'who do not have the right to reside in the European Union.'" Regarding Syria, he said, "Cyprus has supported from the beginning the idea of enhancing the country's rapid recovery (early recovery) to create suitable conditions for safe and dignified return." He added that "Cyprus agrees with the concept of 'Go and See' visits, allowing Syrian citizens to visit their country without losing their international protection status, to facilitate their permanent return later." He emphasized that "to prevent any potential misuse of this program, it should be defined in terms of the duration of the visits and the number of visits per family." It is worth mentioning that since February, Cypriot officials have mentioned that hundreds of Syrians who sought asylum in Cyprus over a decade ago have withdrawn their asylum applications in the weeks following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Cypriot Minister of Migration, "Nicolas Yianides," told Reuters, "We have 40 asylum applications from Syrians being withdrawn daily since December 9, 2024." Cyprus has faced repeated criticism for violating the rights of migrants, according to reports from human rights organizations. In October 2024, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that "Cyprus violated the rights of Syrian asylum seekers after detaining them with over 20 other people on a boat at sea for two days before returning them to Lebanon."