President Anastasiades Visits St. Petersburg Amid British Concern on Russian-Cypriot Deals

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, currently on the third day of his official visit to Russia, continued his contacts in St. Petersburg, where he arrived yesterday night, after consecutive meetings with top Russian state officials, among which his counterpart Vladimir Putin. In the northeastern Russian city, the Cypriot President was welcomed by St. Petersburg External Relations Committee Chairman Evgeny Grigoriev and is scheduled to visit the historic Hermitage Museum and Smolny Palace, where he will officially be welcomed by St. Petersburg Vice Governor Alexander Govorunov. Later on in the evening, Anastasiades and his spouse have been invited to attend an opera performance at the acclaimed Mariinsky Theatre, while his visit is due tomorrow morning, when he will return to Nicosia.

Yesterday, during a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Anastasiades requested Putin’s personal contribution to efforts aiming to find a viable solution on the Cyprus problem. In response, Putin declared that he is ready to take steps toward that direction, with his focus being drawn on the Turkish side. The meeting between the two countries’ delegations lasted for about 40 minutes more than scheduled, while according to sources, the Russian President expressed his appreciation for Cyprus’ stance within the European Union framework regarding the Ukrainian Crisis and discussed ways to enrich bilateral economic cooperation.

As a response to the eight agreements singed between Russia and Cyprus, and especially the one allowing Russian navy ships to use Cypriot ports, has caused London’s concern, Cyprus News Agency reported. “Our basic position is that this is a matter for Cyprus. It is however set in the context of our current concern regarding Russia’s policy over Ukraine,” an unnamed Foreign Office official stated. At the same time, regarding the Cypriot position on the Ukrainian Crisis, London stressed that the European Union’s position on Russian actions is clear. “We acknowledge the unity that Cyprus has demonstrated with the European Union on this,” the same source said, adding though, that “in light of the current problems, it is not the time to extend a hand of friendship to Russia until it shows willingness to fulfill the Minsk Agreement.”

The agreement signed in the Belarusian capital is aiming at a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and as the British official repeated, his government insists on Russia demonstrating its commitment to it “before we start normalizing relations.” Meanwhile, a number of British MPs have described the Cypriot-Russian agreement as “worrying and disappointing.”