Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aleksey Meshkov will pay a visit to Cyprus May 28-29, during which he will be received by Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades. He will also have meetings with Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides and other Foreign Ministry officials as well as with political party leaders.
Counselor and Spokesman of the Russian Embassy in Nicosia Sergey Filimonov has told the Cyprus News Agency that Meshkov will discuss during his meetings about the Cyprus-Russia bilateral relations and the Cyprus problem, as well as international issues, including the crisis in Ukraine.
Asked if issues related to the economy will also be discussed, Filimonov said that they will be discussed in the framework of bilateral relations. “Issues regarding all aspects of the relations between the two countries will be discussed,” he noted.
Filimonov said that Meshkov is responsible for issues related to the Eastern Mediterranean and South Europe and that this will be his first visit to Cyprus, in the framework of an exchange of visits between officials of the two countries.
Asked if Meshkov will meet during his visit with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, he said that no such a meeting has been scheduled.
Responding to another question, Filimonov said that President Anastasiades will pay a visit to Moscow, but it has not been decided yet when it will take place.
“However preparations are underway and agreements to be signed during the visit are being drafted,” he noted.
Asked about the visit of US Vice President Joe Biden to Cyprus, Filimonov noted that the visit is paid in the framework of Cyprus-US bilateral relations “and it is our opinion that to a great extent the reason behind it is the upgraded interest of the Americans in the Cyprus problem due to the situation in the South-Eastern Mediterranean.”
Asked if he refers to the issue of hydrocarbons, he replied: “Of course. Since significant hydrocarbon reserves have been discovered in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, our assessment is that one of the reasons for this visit is the interest of the US in these reserves.”
US Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Cyprus on Wednesday afternoon for a two-day visit, at the invitation of President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. The leaders of the two communities agreed in February on a joint declaration which paved the way for the UN-backed talks to resume with the aim to reunite the island under a federal roof.
