Russian Foreign Ministry stresses that the negotiations on the Cyprus problem should continue, with the aim to reach a comprehensive, just and viable solution, on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions.
The Russian Ministry issued a statement on Thursday, following the talks the Cypriot FM held with the counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
According to the statement, during the meeting the two Ministers had a detailed discussion on the Cyprus problem, the bilateral relations and the course of the 2012-2013 Common Action Plan and they signed the political consultations plan between the two countries.
Cyprus has been divided since 1074, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The two communities in Cyprus, the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot, have been engaged in UN-led talks with the aim to reunite the island under a federal roof.
The Russian Foreign Ministry in its statement also underlines that in the framework of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, the talks between the Ministers focused on the cooperation within EU-Russia dialogue in the various EU mechanisms.
Markoullis and Lavrov also discussed the abolition of visa requirements for Russian citizens, the progress as regards the new framework agreement between Russia and EU , the cooperation in the field of crisis management, the mutual pact on modernization and the future cooperation in the energy field.
According to the Russian FM, the exchange of views on current international issues has confirmed the concurrence and the closeness of views as regards the global and regional security. The two ministers focused on the situation in Syria, the Middle East and Iran’s nuclear program , the statement reads.
Cyprus, an EU member since 2004, has assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU on July 1st for a period of six months.
