Nicosia in consultations with Moscow over possible Russian consulate in the north

Nicosia continues to have consultations with Moscow regarding a possible Russian consulate in the north, with a view to find ways to address such a possibility in a way that abides by international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

In a statement, the ministry stated it is “aware” of media reports in relation to a possible Russian presence, as a temporary arrangement, in order to facilitate consular assistance to Russian citizens illegally residing in the Turkish occupied areas, in emergency cases.

Within this context, the ministry took note of a press release issued on Thursday by the Russian Embassy in Nicosia.

In light of the above, the foreign ministry looked into this issue in Nicosia as well as at the level of the Cypriot embassy in Moscow, the statement added.

The Russian embassy in Cyprus said in a post on Facebook that the issue of consular protection and physical care of Russians living in the north is of a purely administrative and technical nature, although with a strong humanitarian dimension. The embassy added that this does not affect the principled position of Russia regarding a settlement of the Cyprus issue.

The embassy also noted that a significant number of Russians – as many as several tens of thousands – live in the north of the island.

“We will not delve into the circumstances of how they got there, but that is an objective, indisputable fact” it said, noting that they require consular assistance for a number of daily issues as well as for the protection of their legal interests.

The Russian embassy also said the issue demanded “a special approach so as to find optimal ways, of course, in close contact with the colleagues in the Republic of Cyprus.”

In addition, it stated that the consular dimension of Russia-Cyprus bilateral relations “continues to occupy one of the central positions in the political dialogue between our countries.”