The charge against the top Cypriot officials was made on a new subsection of the Russian foreign ministry webpage, aptly entitled ‘Examples of Russophobic remarks’, recording statements by heads of state, ministers, MPs, diplomats, journalists and other public figures from western and allied countries to the Ukraine, which constitute, as the Kremlin argues, ‘hate rhetoric against Russia’.
The special segment entitled ‘Examples of 2024 remarks on Russia by official figures and representatives of western countries elites on Russia, which contain hate rhetoric’, includes comments by Greek and Cypriot officials.
The Cyprus section critisises remarks by President Christodoulides and House Speaker Demetriou, with the Greece segment including comments by PM Mitsotakis and FM Yerapetritis.
References to Cyprus
Russia points to a remark by Annita Demetriou on March 3rd 2024 during a meeting with the Belarussian opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanofskayia, to the effect that ‘Cyprus condemns in the strongest of terms every violation of international law, democracy, human rights and the state of law, wherever it happens. Cyprus has an additional reason to adhere to these principles, repeatedly violated by Turkey over the last 50 years by the invasion and occupation of Cyprus Republic territory, also EU territory. Cyprus is fully implementing European sanctions against the Lukashenko regime, as well as Russia for its invasion of Ukraine’, Demetriou said.
Moscow also points to an address by the House Speaker at the EU member-states heads of parliaments meeting at Palma De Mallorca on April 22nd 2024:- ‘The Russian invasion of the Ukraine was a concerning danger signal on EU security, whilst the Middle East crisis further strengthened the need for decisive action. The EU reaction to any crisis must be united, be it the Putin or the Lukashenko regimes, occupation, human rights and ethnic cleansing, whether in Gaza, Ukraine, Cyprus, Nagorno Karabakh or Serbia’.
Furthermore, Moscow describes as Russophobic, a statement by President Christodoulides, following talks with Estonian President Alar Karis in Nicosia, on March 27th 2024:- ‘Two years following the illegal Russian invasion and continued aggression, we reiterate that lawlessness cannot be allowed to prevail. We are obliged to secure the future of Ukraine as a sovereign, free and prosperous state and we must defend these values without exception. To this end, we have confirmed today that we remain by the side of Ukraine and naturally the right side of history’, the President of Cyprus said.
There has been no official reaction as yet.
