Cyprus President Demetris Christofias will sign a total of seven agreements with Russia during his visit to Moscow in what the government has described as “a very important visit” to Russia that will help strengthen even further existing friendly relations.
During the four-day official visit, President Christofias and the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev will sign a Political Declaration to develop further ties and cooperation.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou and the Russian Minister of Health and Social Development will sign a Cooperation Agreement on health and medical science, while a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the Cyprus Securities Commission and the Russian Federal Service for Financial Markets. In addition to this, a joint action programme will be signed between the Cyprus Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism providing for cooperation in the tourist industry.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cyprus News Agency and the Director General of ITAR-TASS will sign, in the presence of Christofias and Medvedev, a cooperation agreement in the field of information.
Cyprus and Russia will also sign two Memoranda of Cooperation, one on matters relating to justice affairs and one between the Cyprus Stock Exchange and the State Investment Bank of Russia OJSC VTB Bank.
According to the draft programme of the visit, the President of the Republic, who will be accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance and Commerce, the Presidential Commissioner and other officials, will begin his official contacts on Wednesday morning with a meeting with the President of the Russia-Cyprus Friendship Association Georgi Muradov and then President Christofias will meet the Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Boris Gryzlov.
Later on, he will lay a wreath at the memorial to the Unknown Soldier and then have a private meeting with President Medvedev, followed by talks between the delegations of the two countries. On conclusion of the talks, the bilateral agreements will be signed and the two Presidents will speak to the media.
Russian President Medvedev will host a formal lunch in honour of his guest and first lady Elsi Christofia and immediately afterwards, President Christofias is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister of Russia Vladimir Putin.
On the evening of November 19, the leadership of the Communist Party will host a dinner in honour of Cyprus President and his wife.
On Thursday morning, President Christofias will be declared as a distinguished honoured doctorate holder by the University of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
Later on, the President is due to meet Sergey Myronov, Chairman of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and then he will give a press conference at ITAR-TASS offices.
In the afternoon, he will meet Moscow Mayor Yuri Louzkov and in the evening he will attend a concert and a reception, hosted by Cyprus’ Ambassador in Moscow Petros Kestoras.
The President and the Cypriot delegation return on Friday.
During this official visit, President Christofias will be handed official copies of letters exchanged by the first President of the Republic of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios, and the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR at the time Leonid Brezniev and the Soviet Foreign Minister of that era Andrei Gromyko. The letters, all written in 1960 after Cyprus gained its independence from British colonial rule, are an acknowledgement of the recognition by the then Soviet Union of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus. The original copies, which Nicosia had, were destroyed during the July 1974 military coup against the late Archbishop Makarios.
As Government Spokesman Stephanos Stephanou has said ahead of the visit, Russia has consistently and firmly stood by Cyprus, at particularly difficult times, maintaining positions of principle on the question of Cyprus.
During the Moscow talks, the two delegations are expected to discuss the latest developments in the Cyprus problem and President Christofias will brief President Medvedev on the ongoing negotiations he is conducting with the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Mehmet Ali Talat, with a view to find a mutually agreed solution that will reunite Cyprus, which has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion.
Discussions in Russia will also cover economic cooperation between the two countries, as Stephanou pointed out.
“Russia is probably the most important economic partner of Cyprus,” he said, noting its significant role in tourism, investment and the real estate.
Other issues, which are expected to be on the agenda of the Moscow talks include energy, double taxation, visa of Russian citizens for Cyprus as well as international concerns.
