On Wednesday Sergei Lavrov Georgios Jacovoub have signed an agreement simplifying the visa regime between their countries
On Wednesday foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Georgios Jacovoub of Cyprus have signed an agreement simplifying the visa regime between their countries.
The agreements on citizen trips and visa-free trips with diplomatic and service passports, protocol on terminating operation of the visa agreements were concluded in Nicosia.
Sergei Lavrov also discussed the expansion of bilateral trade-economic relations with Cypriot President Tassos Papadopoulos and Georgios Jacovoub.
Moscow sees ways towards it in encouraging contacts between Russian regions and businesses in Cyprus, establishing enterprises there with the participation of Russian business, Lavrov said.
He also voiced the hope that the Cypriot authorities would build a framework boosting the expansion of bilateral trade-economic contacts.
Lavrov said that Moscow supports "the resumption of the UN Secretary General's mission on Cyprus and hopes that it will lead to the earliest revival of the talks on settling the problem of Cyprus."
He said that at the past talks the Russian side confirmed its position on resolving the problem, which intends a mutually agreed upon decision.
"We have confirmed our consistent position, which intends taking a decision by the corresponding parties, instead of enforced from without," the Russian foreign minister stressed.
Asked by Cypriot journalists what Moscow sees as Russia's role at this stage of Cypriot settlement, the Russian chief diplomat said: "We consistently uphold the crucial principle that a decision on this problem is to be made on the basis of the sides' agreement."
Lavrov recalled that Russia as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council supports its efforts to resolve the problem.
Cyprus has been dived into two parts since 1974, when Turkey occupied its north.
The UN Cyprus mission was closed following the Greek Cypriots' rejection at the 2004 summer referendum to unite the two parts of the island according to the Kofi Annan scenario
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