The Russian Federation was and is in favour of a universal, just and sustainable settlement of the Cyprus problem based on UN security council resolutions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday as the island’s new ambassador in Moscow presented his credentials.

“Relations with the Republic of Cyprus have always been built taking into account the civilisational and spiritual community and traditions of friendship of our peoples,” he added.

The new Cypriot ambassador to Russia is Kypros Giorgallis.

Diplomatic sources cited by the Cyprus News Agency say that to date, this was the shortest reference to Russian-Cypriot relations in respective speeches given by Vladimir Putin before new ambassadors.