The Republic of Cyprus recorded a 92% decrease in irregular arrivals and a 93% drop in new asylum applications in the first half of 2026 compared with the corresponding period of 2022, while the backlog of pending asylum applications has fallen by 41.5% since the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Migration and International Protection, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection, Nicholas Ioannides said on Friday, presenting the results of the government's migration policy for the first half of 2026 and a review of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.