Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta pledge joint action to avert migration crisis

At the Europe Gulf Forum, the President of Cyprus (Nikos Christodoulides) and the prime ministers of Greece (Kyriakos Mitsotakis), Italy (Giorgia Meloni) and Malta (Robert Abela) issued a joint declaration calling for measures to prevent any migration crisis comparable to that of 2015. The leaders outlined four work areas: supporting regional security; cooperating to provide assistance to affected populations; ensuring full application of the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact and the updated legal framework for crisis situations, including the weaponisation of migration, force‑majeure and hybrid threats; and strengthening joint readiness to safeguard external EU borders while respecting international law, potentially through coordinated initiatives.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi will convene his counterparts from Cyprus, Greece and Malta in Rome on 17 June 2026 to discuss options such as stronger cooperation with origin and transit countries, intensified fight against traffickers, and possible activation of the EU crisis and force‑majeure regulation. The four leaders also welcomed the May 15 endorsement of the Kissionau Declaration on migration at the 135th Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe, emphasizing the complex challenges the EU faces.

The statement signals a coordinated European effort to manage migration flows linked to Middle‑East conflicts and to bolster collective border and security mechanisms.