Russian Ambassador 'threatens' Cyprus on tourism

The Russian Ambassador to Cyprus, Stanislav Osadchiy, said during a media interview that countries like the Republic of Cyprus  who have imposed sanctions on his country over its invasion of Ukraine have ‘shot themselves in the foot,' reported Kathimerini.

According to the news outlet, Osadchiy said that Russian tourists 'will not show up in Cyprus in the summer and that they will go to Turkey instead.'

“If you ask me personally, (economic sanctions) do not worry us. Unfortunately, I think Europeans are shooting themselves in the foot. Where will they find natural gas, oil, wheat, how will Cyprus get Russian tourists? Russian tourists will not come. Where will these tourists go? They’ll go to Turkey, you want that? They’ll spend money there. Summer is coming. You have shut down Cyprus’ airspace? You have shot yourselves in the foot,” Osadchiy says, in fluent Greek, in a clip from the interview posted on twitter by Yiota Hadjicosta, a journalist with Cyprus’ Politis newspaper.

“#Russian Ambassador to Cyprus openly threatened #Cyprus in an interview with a local media outlet. Unbelievable! #Ukraine #Russia,” Hadjicosta tweeted.