Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov`s visit to Cyprus will unquestionably contribute to strengthening cooperation and bringing our countries and peoples closer together, a press release issued on Wednesday by the Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department said.
The press release noted that Lavrov will make a working visit to the Republic of Cyprus between May 18−20 and will take part in the events concluding Cyprus’ presidency of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers. It is noted that Lavrov’s programme in Nicosia includes a meeting with President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and talks with Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides.
“These bilateral talks will cover a broad range of bilateral, international, and regional issues, with particular focus on the inter-community dialogue as part of the Cyprus settlement process. The talks will also include an exchange of views on prospects for Russia’s cooperation with the European Union, and a discussion on the situation in Syria, the Middle East in general, and Ukraine,” the press release added.
Furthermore it noted that Russian-Cypriot relations are traditionally friendly and have developed in a spirit of mutual understanding, which is reflected in the high level of political dialogue between the two countries. “Russia and the Republic of Cyprus share common or close positions on many issues. Both countries support a swift return to constructive Russia-EU negotiations, strengthening the UN’s central role in international relations as the universal organisation for supporting peace and security, and collective responses by the entire international community to modern threats such as international terrorism, trans-border crime, and drug trafficking,” it is noted.
According to the press release, “the EU’s sanctions against Russia and the measures which Russia took in response have led to a drop in trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, but we continue to search for ways to mitigate this situation. The Russian-Cypriot Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation, which held its eighth session in April 2016 in Moscow, and the Business Council for Cooperation with Cyprus have made a noticeable contribution to this work,” it is added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry says that financial and economic ties are among the key areas of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Cyprus, adding that Cyprus is one of the main channels for bringing foreign investment into the Russian economy and is a leader among countries investing in Russia.
“Bilateral trade dropped 2.5% in 2016, compared to 2015, down to $295.5 million, while Russian exports to Cyprus rose by 15.9% to $282.8 million, and Cypriot exports to Russia fell by 78.5% and came to $12.7 million. Bilateral trade increased by 34.1% to $56.2 million over the first two months of 2017, Russian exports were up 37.8% and made up $55 million, and imports from Cyprus dropped by 39.5% and came to $1.2 million. Around 800,000 Russians visited Cyprus in 2016,” the press release noted.