Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to AKEL: Russia won’t accept a change in the basis of the solution to the Cyprus problem
1 July 2019, Cyprus News Agency CNA
Russia will not under any circumstances accept a change in the basis of the solution of the Cyprus problem and considers that if anyone supports such a view, then this must be discussed at the UN Security Council, noted the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov to the General Secretary of AKEL Andros Kyprianou.
This is what the General Secretary of AKEL stated to the “Cyprus News Agency” after the 50-minute meeting he had in Moscow with Mr. Lavrov. A. Kyprianou said that the Russian Foreign Minister told him that his country will continue to support the efforts for a solution of the Cyprus problem and that the immediate resumption of the negotiations and the recording of progress on the Cyprus problem would be useful, otherwise problems will subsequently be provoked.
The General Secretary of AKEL said that they had a very good meeting, pointing out that he was very satisfied with what he heard from Mr. Lavrov. A.Kyprianou said that he briefed the Russian Foreign Minister on AKEL’s position on the latest developments surrounding the Cyprus problem, as well as on Turkey’s actions in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus. The position expressed by Mr. Lavrov is in line with the general framework that the Cyprus problem must be solved so that no problems will arise, said Mr. Kyprianou.
The General Secretary of AKEL also said that the Russian Foreign Minister spoke of the need for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Cyprus “and not only of the Turkish troops.”
“He also asked me about the Rubio-Menendez bill. They have read it and are worried about where the whole thing is going. I informed him about the President of the Republic’s reaction and he told me that he had heard a reaction from the Minister of Defense. They (Russia) want to know what the position of the government is,” Mr. Kyprianou said.
He added that “the Russians are concerned that there is a lot of tension in the Eastern Mediterranean region and that NATO is trying to strengthen its presence in the region.”
Furthermore, Mr. Kyprianou said that at the meeting he raised the issue of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP). He noted that Russia strongly supports the need to maintain UNFICYP in Cyprus and that its mandate mustn’t change at all.
The General Secretary of AKEL pointed out that Mr. Lavrov had raised some issues concerning Russian funds in Cyprus and more specifically with regards some Russian investors’ funds from Russia “who had put them for the construction of a temple in Limassol. This money was lost and he told me that they had made representations to the government in the past and that they are expecting the government to take action to give the money,” he said.
As regards his meeting with Gennadi Zhuganov, President of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, which also took place today, Mr. Kyprianou said that they discussed the Cyprus problem and issues relating to the bilateral relations between Cyprus and Russia. “I briefed him on Turkey’s provocative actions, the situation in the EEZ and other issues”, he pointed out.
“They informed us of a series of events which they will be organizing for the 75th anniversary of the Anti-fascist Victory, the 150 years of Lenin, 140 years of Stalin and asked us to exchange views on whether we can organize some events etc. I told them we shall continue our communication,” he added.
Tomorrow, Mr. Kyprianou will meet with a leading member of the Supreme Political Council of the ruling “United Russia”.
