Cyprus President shuns meeting with Russian Foreign Minister following Putin’s mobilisation announcement

THE President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades shunned a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following Putin’s mobilisation announcement, as reported on Thursday, September 22.

Cyprus Mail, citing a Cypriot government official, reported that Anastasiades had cancelled his meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister due to the address by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday, September 21.

According to the news outlet, Cyrus is also considering cancelling bilateral contacts with Russia following instructions from the EU.

The meeting between Lavrov and Anastasiades was due to take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Thursday, September 22, a government spokesman told CyBC Broadcasting Corporation.

Cyprus may also issue sanctions against Russia as a reaction to the referendums in the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions, the news outlet suggested.

On 21 September, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an address on the situation in Donbas and the ‘special operation’. He said that Moscow would support the decisions of the referendums in the DNR, LNR, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions and announced a partial mobilisation in Russia, calling it a decision that was fully adequate to the current threats.

As Cyprus appear to pull away from Russia due to Putin’s address on the situation in Donbas, Syria issued its support.

The Foreign Minister of Syria, Faisal Mikdad, has reportedly said that the Arab republic supports Russia’s efforts to establish peace in Donbas.

According to Mikdad, Damascus’ position on all international issues is identical to that of Moscow.

“We strongly support Russian efforts in Donbas,” the minister said on Tuesday, September 20.

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