NICOSIA, August 19. /TASS/. More and more Cypriots are beginning to feel the negative impact of anti-Russian sanctions, Russian Ambassador to Cyprus Murat Zyazikov told TASS.
He recalled that the Russian government has actually created a list of unfriendly countries, which includes countries that imposed illegal restrictive measures on Russia. "Joining the anti-Russian restrictions and the ongoing support for the relevant sanctions packages churned out in Brussels cause nothing but profound disappointment," he said. "The West’s anti-Russian games cannot but have an effect on bilateral cooperation" between Russia and Cyprus in certain areas.
"What’s interesting is that the more the West digs in with its anti-Russian rhetoric and policies, which now border on the absurd, the clearer it becomes just how futile this strategy is. The European Union already explicitly acknowledges that the sanctions have failed to reach their declared objectives and are hurting their economies instead. Thus, Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides spoke about how badly the Europeans are hurting because of their anti-Russian policy of restrictions, in particular in the energy sector, in his recent interview with France’s Le Figaro. More and more Cypriot politicians, diplomats, specialists and ordinary people talk openly about the appreciable damage done by the restrictions against our country to the island’s economy, first of all, to the banking and hospitality sectors," he said.
He recalled that years-long comprehensive cooperation with Russia had been dividends for Cyprus and giving jobs to Cypriots. "Cyprus’ reputable businessmen are suffering from the consequences of the anti-Russian political course, which is imposed on Nicosia by Brussels, Washington and London and which directly affects ties between Russian and Cypriot businesses," Zyazikov said, citing as an example the fact that Cyprus’ travel market had lost around one billion euros due to a shortfall of more than 800,000 Russian tourists.
Relations between the two peoples
"Obviously, it would be in the interests of both of our countries to resume direct air service. Despite the anti-Russian sanctions, people in Cyprus are sparing no effort to attract guests from Russia. As a result, we have seen a steady rise in tourist flows from our country recently," the ambassador noted.
He cited recent opinion polls in Cyprus about the popularity of foreign investors, which indicate that Russians are only slightly behind the European Union, the island’s priority investment partner (30% vs 31%, respectively).
"Obviously, the bulk of Cypriots reject the West’s reckless anti-Russian campaign. The Cypriot people have always been and will be a friendly nation for us. This friendship rests on a mutual understanding between the common people, on close historical, cultural and spiritual ties, which, I am sure, cannot be broken by any external political twists and turns. And sooner or later, our countries will inevitably return to more constructive cooperation at all levels and the decades-long foundation of our relations will stay in place," the Russian diplomat emphasized.