Anastasiades discusses sanctions, Cyprus issue with Lavrov

PRESIDENT Nicos Anastasiades met on Wednesday in New York with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and discussed the Cyprus issue, Ukraine, and relations with Russia on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Cyprus has been adversely affected by EU sanctions on Russia and Moscow’s retaliatory embargo on Western goods in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis.

In a joint statement with Lavrov after the meeting yesterday, Anastasiades said the two men had exchanged information about the present situation in Cyprus “while at the same time we have reaffirmed our commitment to continue with the close and historic relations we have had until now”.

Anastasiades said he would also like to thank the Russian Federation for its stance on the Cyprus issue “and the assistance we are receiving in a lot of fields”.

In an additional statement in Greek afterwards, he said his meeting with Lavrov had been helpful because they both had the opportunity to inform each other on the current problems being faced by both Cyprus and Russia, with emphasis on Ukraine.

“I must confess that I am satisfied with the positions voiced by the foreign minister and our goal is to continue our excellent relations with Russia, sanctions or other problems notwithstanding,” he said.

Lavrov also stressed Russia’s continuing good relations with Cyprus. “We discussed the state of our bilateral interactions in economy, tourism, and the humanitarian field,” Lavrov said.

“We also discussed our interaction in international matters, including of course the Cyprus issue, which we are convinced must be resolved between the two communities on the basis of Security Council resolutions and on the basis of previous arrangements between the two sides,” the Russian foreign minister added.

 

 

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.