Russia will not recognise illegal Turkish Cypriot regime, says Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has ruled out any notion of recognising a state in Cyprus' northern Turkish occupied areas, in exchange of the recognition by Turkey of Abkhazia, which has seceded from Georgia.

“Russia does not bargain the recognition of ‘Northern Cyprus’ from Moscow, in exchange of the recognition of Abkhazia from Ankara,” Lavrov said during a lecture at the state university of Abkhazia.

“We are not liable to any exchange in the sense of give and take. These are completely different cases. They are different situations from historical, moral and human perspective and any kind of bargain is out of place,” he added.

“Each situation must be addressed taking into consideration the historic events,” that surround it Lavrov said.

Cyprus has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion. The island’s northern part remains under Turkish occupation. The illegal Turkish Cypriot regime, in occupied Cyprus, is not recognized by any state except Turkey. The UN has branded the regime “legally invalid” and called on all states not to recognise of facilitate it.