During her private visit to Cyprus, the federal parliamentarian Maria Vamvakinou also had a series of meetings organised by Australia's High Commission.
The government of Cyprus says that it has already received more than 700 applications for asylum so far this year. The island nation, which has seen a spike in irregular arrivals in recent years, says it is encountering a "migration crisis", propelled by Turkey.
After setting off in a rubber boat from Turkey under the cover of darkness, Mohammed, a Syrian in his twenties, arrived on Cyprus's north coast in October.
After setting off in a rubber boat from Turkey under the cover of darkness, Mohammed, a Syrian in his twenties, arrived on Cyprus's north coast in October.
Last modified on Sat 17 Jul 2021 10.09 EDT
A few months after Grace Ngo flew into Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus from her native Cameroon, she decided to head âfor the westâ. Smugglers pointed the student in the direction of the Venetian walls that cut through the heart of Nicosia, Europeâs last divided capital.
A little before midnight on 24 May,
Ngo leapt from the breakaway Turkish Cypriot republic into what she hoped would be the war-divided islandâs internationally recognised Greek south.
âI just said âGod protect me,ââ the 24-year-old recalled, describing the jump that instead landed her in the UN-patrolled buffer zone, where she has been stranded ever since. âThe walls were so high. I hurt my leg quite badly but I was desperate for the west.â