Putin: Russia holding balanced policy for Cypriot problem
MOSCOW. Dec 18 (Interfax) - Russia seeks to maintain a balanced position in the settlement of the northern Cyprus problem and has good relationships both with Turkey and with Greece, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"We are trying to maintain a balanced position and to achieve a solution which will satisfy both the northern and southern parts of the island, both the Turkish and Greek [communities]. We have very amicable relations with Turkey, and this applies to northern Cyprus one way or another," he said at a press conference on Thursday.
At the same time, the Russian president pointed to the special status of Russian-Greek relations. "We have a special kind of relationship with Greece, I mean the religious commonality," he said.
Speaking of the Cypriot settlement process, Putin declared a course towards a balanced decision. "The same as before, we will aim at achieving a balanced decision, without anything being pushed from the outside; people must come to terms by themselves," the Russian president explained.
He said he was somewhat optimistic about the resolution of the issue.
"There is still some optimism: contacts are being maintained, the border [regime] is being liberalized and progress will continue in the same direction,' he said.
Putin underlined the importance of Russian-Turkish cooperation and the possibility of its successful development.
"We have lots of matching regional interests. These issues cannot be resolved without the active participation of Turkey. Therefore, we are very much interested in the development of these relations and we will be doing so [developing them]," the Russian president said.