The issue which arose with multimillionaire Bill Browder shortly before President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades is to visit Moscow, was “no so good for our bilateral relations,” Russian Ambassador Stanislav Osadchiy said on Friday.
Speaking in Limassol on the sidelines of the Cyprus-Russia Business and Investment Forum, and invited to comment on the issue, Osadchiy said “it is not a disagreement with Cyprus, it is a disagreement between Russia and Browder.”
“He has stolen a lot of money from Russian company Gazprom and we are trying to find a solution and I think we will find it,” he said, adding that “this issue is in court, in Russia, and this is the problem, it is a problem between us and Browder.”
To a remark that the Russian authorities have expressed dissatisfaction over Cyprus’ stance, Osadchiy said that “Browder filed a case in your court and we think that on the eve of the visit of President Anastasiades, it is not so good for our bilateral relations.”
He added however that it was Browder’s right to go to court.
Asked if he shared the dissatisfaction of the Russian authorities, Osadchiy said that “when we say dissatisfaction, we mean that we don’t like the fact that this issue arose at this moment in time.”
Referring to President Anastasiades’ upcoming visit to Moscow, Osadchiy said “we are looking forward to the President’s visit to Russia and we believe it will be of great importance.”
He added that discussions will cover political issues and the economy, with first and foremost on the agenda the Cyprus problem, and relations between Turkey and Cyprus.
The Russian Ambassador referred to a recent meeting of the Joint Economic Cooperation Committee between Cyprus and Russia, and said he expected the signing of “five or six agreements in Moscow that are important for both countries.”
Furthermore, he said Friday’s Forum highlighted that “our volume of trade is increasing, we have more investments, and the fact that Cyprus is number one in investments in Russia means that our capital comes here and returns to Russia for investments, not just cash.”
“This is good for us and for Cyprus, we have a mutual benefit,” he said.
Osadchiy also said that the fact Turkey bought Russian S-400 missiles did not affect the relations between Cyprus and Russia, and had “nothing to do with Cyprus.”
The Russian Ambassador said “this agreement has not closed yet,” adding that a lot is being said “about an issue that has not taken place yet, because it is not easy for us and the Turks to close this deal and we are still discussing it.”
