Mr Minister, colleagues,

I am happy to see you again. We maintain regular contacts at various levels, which is evidence of trust and the special nature of our political dialogue. In May 2015, we had the honour to welcome President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, who attended the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. In December 2015, I was happy to experience your hospitality in Cyprus. In July 2016, Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev met with President Anastasiades on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In September, I had the honour of meeting with President Anastasiades on the sidelines of a UN General Assembly session. Mr Kasoulides, you also attended that meeting. Today we are happy to welcome you to Moscow.

Last year we marked 55 years of diplomatic relations between our countries. It was a period that has shown that bilateral cooperation and the development of bilateral relations do not depend on the political situation.

Today I hope to have a detailed discussion of our bilateral relations in keeping with the agreements reached by our leaders and discuss European and international issues and steps that should be taken towards a fair settlement in Cyprus.

Once again, welcome to Moscow.