President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades has confirmed his readiness to compensate partly Russian depositors who have lost money, as a result of the three Eurogroup creditors` decision to cut uninsured deposits in the island`s two major banks.
In an interview with Itar-Tass First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman, the Cypriot leader said that the tough decisions taken in March affected many Russians. Despite the fact, they have not betrayed Cyprus, he said. "Our friends have remained our friends," he is reported to have said.
It is very important, he added, since it encourages and gives more confidence that it is possible to restore the country’s economy. It has also become one of the elements to continue developing ties with Russia, he noted.
The attitude of Russians to Cyprus is valued highly, Anastasiades said. Russians have lost part of their deposits, and Cyprus would do everything possible to overcome the negative consequences of the March decisions, he said, according to Itar-Tass.
With the aim to compensate for the losses, a special fund will be set up to accumulate finances, when the situation in the economy and the banking sector, first of all in the Bank of Cyprus, improves, the President indicated. The authorities plan to use some of the revenues from future gas extraction in the Cypriot economic zone for this purpose, he explained.
At the critical moment Cyprus rests on Russia’s support, President Anastasiades said.
“We’re grateful to the Russian people and the leaders for such support” he noted.
“Mutual political support unites our countries. This is related, first of all, to fundamental issues of international law. I mean Russia’s support for Cyprus’ efforts to achieve a fair settlement on the island,” the Cypriot President is reported as saying.
“Nobody can ignore the fact that a great number of Russian entrepreneurs and ordinary people, who chose Cyprus as the place of residence, contributed to economic restoration and prosperity,” he noted, adding that both countries had much in common and “this predetermines close friendship and cooperation that we seek to preserve and strengthen.”
Anastasiades noted that there were many fields to develop cooperation, including tourism finances and the energy sector. He expressed hope that Russian private and state companies show interest in such projects as the construction of a terminal for liquefied natural gas and others.
The Cypriot President said the country was ready to contribute to further development of good relations between the European Union and Russia.
“I have the warmest feelings to Russia, its people and its leaders,” Anastasiades said, according to the agency.
