Roundup: Russia, Cyprus renew defense agreement extending military facilities

Russia and Cyprus renewed a defense cooperation agreement during an official visit by President Nicos Anastasiades to Moscow, an official statement issued in Nicosia said on Wednesday.

The statement said the agreement extends military facilities for Russia in Cyprus providing for the anchoring of Russian warships in Cypriot ports.

It did not mention landing of military aircraft at an air base or storage facilities which Russian ambassador to Cyprus Stanislav Osadchiy had said Moscow had requested from Cyprus.

Cyprus had initially said that it would extend to Russia facilities offered to other countries, such as France which has been given landing rights for its military aircraft at Paphos air base and Germany, which enjoys port facilities in Cypriot ports.

Cypriot foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides had also said that a Russian request for storage facilities at Limassol port, next to a British air base, was positively viewed but it had to wait until plans for the extension of the port were implemented.

But the Cypriot government has recently been trying to play down the scope of its defense cooperation with Russia in the face of displeasure by Britain, which maintains on the island one of the biggest NATO military facilities.

The defense cooperation agreement was one of a total of 10 agreements signed on Wednesday after Anastasiades met with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

They include cooperation in the sectors of the economy, energy, defense and security and mutual promotion of investments.

Cyprus is trying to offset the effects of Russia's de-offshorisation legislation aimed at convincing Russian offshore businesses to relocate to their motherland.

Income from offshore companies domiciled in Cyprus, most of them Russian, account for about 15 percent of the island's Gross Domestic Product.

A Cypriot government spokesman, in remarks to the state radio, dismissed Cypriot press reports that Cyprus had to choose to disappoint either Russia or the European Union and the United States with President Anastasiades's visit to Moscow.

The spokesman said that Cyprus maintains the best of relations with both Russia and the United States.

Anastasiades himself, in remarks during meetings with Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, said that his visit to Moscow demonstrated the determination of Russia and Cyprus to preserve their close friendship independently of any other cooperation with other countries.

He said he was grateful for Russia's support over the Cyprus political issue and Putin reciprocated by thanking Anastasiades for his opposition to European Union sanctions against Russia over Ukraine and Cyprus's support for Russian voting rights in the Council of Europe.

Anastasiades also said that Cyprus is the most credible voice of Russia within the European Union and added that it is trying to promote an improvement in relations between Russia and the EU. Endit