Conference should only touch external issues

THE RUSSIAN Federation believes that any international conference on the Cyprus problem must deal with external issues and not with the domestic issues of the state, said the Russian deputy foreign minister Vladimir Titov yesterday.

Speaking after a meeting at the presidential palace with President Demetris Christofias, Titov said the two had very “fruitful and open discussions” on issues regarding bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international issues.

“My visit is a kind of follow up of those decisions which were taken during the state visit of our President (Dmitry Medvedev) to Cyprus last year,” he said.

Asked to comment on reports that Turkey and some members of the international community want to change the negotiating process and hold an international conference on the Cyprus problem, Titov said: “The position of the Russian Federation is that any international conference must deal with the external issues and not with the domestic issues of a certain state.”

Asked if he discussed the issue of oil exploration in the Mediterranean Sea with Christofias, Titov noted that they discussed “some plans as far energy cooperation is concerned” but not in great detail.

Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Nicholas Emiliou also met with Titov yesterday in the framework of the regular structured dialogue between the foreign ministries of Russia and Cyprus.

Emiliou said the two reviewed progress on the implementation of the Action Plan agreed between Christofias and Medvedev during the latter’s visit to Cyprus last October.

They agreed for two high level committees to meet next autumn in Moscow to further promote implementation of the Action Plan.

According to Emiliou, the two also reached “a wide degree of convergence” on issues regarding the Middle East and North Africa, EU-Russia relations and west Balkans. The Cypriot diplomat also expressed gratitude for the consistent and firm support of Russia to Cyprus at the UN Security Council and other international forums.

 

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.