TASS: Russia to provide consular services in occupied Cyprus
The Russian Embassy in Cyprus will soon start providing consular services in the Turkish occupied of Cyprus, according to a telegram from the Russian state news agency TASS, citing an embassy spokesperson.
“We will start providing consular services in the northern part of the city of Nicosia in the very near future. The work will be carried out on a regular basis,” the agency said, citing the official, who noted that “this is about fulfilling the obligations of the Russian authorities to their citizens living in the northern part of Cyprus.”
Indeed, the Russian diplomat, who was not named, drew attention to the fact that “several countries, including the US, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and France, have their own diplomatic missions dealing with consular affairs in northern Cyprus.”
In a second report from Nicosia, TASS carried a statement by the Russian Federation’s ambassador, Murat Zyazikov, stressing that “this decision, which has been ripe for a long time, has no political connotations,” and that it “is dictated solely by humanitarian reasons, to care for our Russian compatriots living in the northern part of Cyprus.”
According to some estimates, as reported by TASS, more than 50,000 Russian citizens are currently living in the Turkish-occupied territories of the republic.
Referring to Russia’s stance on the Cyprus problem, the Russian ambassador noted that it has not changed.
Russia, he said, “continues to uphold a fundamental position, consistently supporting a comprehensive, viable and just settlement within the known international legal framework enshrined in the [relevant] UN Security Council resolutions.”
