The ambassador of Russia in Nicosia, Murat Zyazikov, in an interview with the Russian government newspaper "Rossiskaya Gazeta", tried to separate the attitude of the Cyprus government towards Moscow from citizens, saying "the majority of Cypriots oppose Nicosia's participation in the EU sanctions against Russia and do not support the sending of weapons to Ukraine."
Zyazikov also said that the majority of Cypriots reject "the anti-Russian orgy unleashed by the West", and this attitude of Cypriot citizens is known in Moscow "even without reference to sociological research." He also praised "the welcoming attitude towards Russians and Russian culture, demonstrated by ordinary Cypriots literally everywhere, starting from the daily dialogue of citizens with us and ending within the walls of state institutions."
The Russian ambassador claimed that due to the suspension of flights between Russia and Cyprus, the flow of Russian tourists to the Republic of Cyprus was "almost completely cancelled", and according to his own estimation, Cyprus lost 800,000 Russian tourists and a billion euros per year.
"At the same time," he said, "Russians travelling here with connections in third countries increasingly prefer to vacation in the Turkish Cypriot-controlled northern part of the island, where hotel and transport infrastructure is developing rapidly and prices are lower".
It is not the first time that Russian officials do not refer to occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus but choose to name the Turkish-occupied pseudo-state as "the North" , or the Turkish Cypriot-controlled area.
He also argued that the EU sanctions applied by Nicosia "have hit hard the financial and banking sector of the island". Zyazikov referred to difficulties faced by Russian citizens in their banking transactions, a fact that often leads, as he argued, to "Cypriot banks under improbable pretexts refusing our compatriots not only to open an account, but also forcing them to close the existing one", expressing the hope that "in the end logic and a constructive approach will prevail."
Good cooperation between Russia and Turkey
The Russian ambassador in Nicosia at another point of his interview said that the approach of the Russian Federation to the solution of the Cyprus issue remains unchanged.
"We firmly support," he said, " a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement within the known international legal framework, enshrined in the resolutions of the UN Security Council. At the same time, we believe it is important that the final decision be made by the islanders themselves with mutual consideration of the interests and fair concerns of both communities, regardless of who promotes which initiatives."
Zyazikov also disagreed with "ready-made" prescriptions for solutions from the outside and with setting timetables.
He reiterated once again Russia's disappointment "with the position of Nicosia to participate in the illegal EU sanctions" and expressed the hope that the Cypriot government "will have the political foresight and the will to preserve the accumulated enormous potential of traditional and constructive cooperation with Russia".
The ambassador also stated that, "some media occasionally try to promote the narrative of Russia's alleged readiness to change its known position on the settlement of the Cyprus issue", considering that "such speculations and provocative leaks do not reflect reality and have the sole purpose of call into question our country's balanced approaches to the settlement of local and international conflicts, which are based on strict adherence to international law and the UN Charter."
Ziazikov noted that Russia's cooperation with Turkey is also built on the basis of the development of relations with all countries, a fact confirmed during the recent meeting of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, therefore "a priori it cannot be turned against anyone or to be carried out at the expense of relations with other countries."
9 centuries of cooperation with Cyprus(?)
As the Russian ambassador argued, the crisis in Cypriot-Russian relations is temporary and as he said "it is obvious that in the long history of diplomatic relations and nine centuries of cooperation at the official level between our countries, Russia and Cyprus have never considered each other other as enemies."
The reference to 9 centuries of cooperation raises questions as the Republic of Cyprus was founded only in 1960!
The Russian ambassador finally said that he does not think "that any temporary political circumstances or the unfortunate short-sighted approach of forces that succumbed to anti-Russian hysteria can destroy this Cyprus-Russia friendship".
It should be noted that Zyazikov is the first ambassador of Russia in Cyprus, who is a Muslim in religion and this choice is seen as a message from Moscow, and as an indication of the deepening of its cooperation with Turkey. He was born in the Turkic country Kyrgyzstan.
READ MORE: WHAT NOW FOR CYPRUS AFTER NAGORNO-KARABAKH?
