& nbsp & nbspDespina Psyllou & nbsp; & nbsp;
Crisis in the Cyprus issue, pressure for the bilateral agreement to dock Russian warships in our ports, increase in fuel prices, blockages in economic, trade and banking transactions are expected to be faced by Cyprus as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The crisis that culminated between the two countries as well as more broadly between the West and the East, was analyzed with intense concern in “F” by university professors and internationalists. & nbsp; & nbsp;
In particular, the Associate Professor of International Politics and Governance at the University of Nicosia, George Kentas, clarified that actions from the 1990s are responsible for the invasion of Ukraine. “Russia pays today with the same currency that America once paid. That is, when, in the first two decades after the end of the Cold War, the United States did what it wanted. Russia feels humiliated and that it is time to take revenge. “
The consequences, said Dr. Kentas, will be multifaceted for Cyprus. “Russia has pursued a policy of principles, up to now supporting the procedures and resolutions of the United Nations. He did not recognize the separatist entity of Turkey in Cyprus (the pseudo-state). An entity, that is, like the ones now being set up by Russia itself in Ukraine. We do not know, therefore, whether Russia's new behavior will affect its broader political approach to see its stance on the various conflicts, including the Cyprus issue, in a new context in which international law does not have the same value. “We are entering a new era,” he said. & Nbsp;
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Another political obstacle that is being born for Cyprus is that our country “despite intense US pressure, went ahead and signed in 2015 a bilateral agreement with Russia, which allows the mooring and provision of services to Russian warships in ports. of Cyprus. “This agreement had annoyed America and I believe that this issue will be on the agenda of Cyprus' bilateral relations with both the United States and other countries, and that Cyprus will be under pressure to break this agreement with Russia.”
Another parameter, said Dr. Kentas, is the strong presence of the Russian community in Cyprus, which as far as I know amounts to 35,000 to 40,000 citizens in the free zones. “There are strong ties,” he said. In general, he said, economic consequences are expected. “We are not energy dependent on Russia, but we know that prices here in Cyprus for fuel and energy will change significantly.” In addition, he noted, “Cyprus' trade, banking and corporate relations with Russia are expected to be affected.” & nbsp;
DR MICHALIS KONTOS
Military imposition on a weaker neighbor
The position that Cyprus is affected in three axes was expressed by the Assistant Professor of International Relations at the University of Nicosia, Michalis Kontos. “The first, and in my opinion the most worrying, has to do with the new morals that this invasion can bring to international practice. “A regional force is intervening militarily to impose its will on a weaker neighbor,” said Dr. Kontos, and wondered: .χ. Turkey? This, in my humble opinion, should seriously concern the Republic of Cyprus. “
The second, he said, has to do with Cyprus's accession to the EU. “Cyprus should adopt the common position and support the sanctions that have been and will be imposed, which may have a Moscow ». & Nbsp;
The third, said Dr. Kontos, has to do with the special relations of Cyprus with Russia, which are fueled by three pillars: “a) Economic relations, due to tourism and the presence of the affluent Russian community in Cyprus, b) The diplomatic, due to the traditional support that Moscow provides to Cyprus, in the framework of the UN Security Council, and c) The cultural, due to the common religious identity and the wider religious connection (arrival of Russian pilgrims in Cyprus, Russian influence in the Church of Cyprus etc.). Many Cypriots view Russia favorably because of these ties. At the same time, however, Cyprus is a semi-occupied country that faces threats very similar to those faced by Ukraine due to Russian policy, which will create serious foreign policy dilemmas for Nicosia. “
DR KOSTAS GOULIAMOS
Russia leads to possible & nbsp; border disputes
Economic and geopolitical problems in Cyprus, estimates that the invasion of Ukraine will bring the former rector of the European University of Cyprus and full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Costas Guliamos. “The current state of war, a product of toxic competition that has been cultivated in recent years, is causing catastrophic consequences on the one hand on a human and environmental level, on the other energy and economic, creating conditions of uncertainty and, above all, increased geo-economic and social instability. “Especially with regard to Cyprus, the developments in Ukraine are causing shocks that may exacerbate the problems in the country's economy.” The Ukrainian crisis, he noted, brings back the issue of geopolitics and geostrategy in our country. “I believe that Russia's review policy is leading to possible disputes, even at the border,” he said. I hasten to note that the Russian Foreign Minister finally spoke, twice, about the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus”. So what will happen to Cyprus, the Black Sea or Greece if neo-Ottoman Ankara takes over from Russia? “Given this, I have the feeling that the concept of 'destabilization' will accompany political discourse, accompanied of course by the derivatives of terror, impasse and instability.” & Nbsp;
It is necessary, Dr. Gliamos underlined, to understand the tug-of-war of the Ukrainian Question through a whole series of geopolitical aspects of the whole issue, which for many years has been reflected as an escalating tension and/or acute crisis. “In fact, this acute crisis, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, now involves all those components of a catastrophic high-intensity risk in many fields. It's political folly, if not ostrichism, when one does not realize that the invasion of Ukraine is a function, if not a derivative, of, among other things, of the long-term strategic plan of the US and NATO forces to tighten the military ring around Russia. Ultimately, all this long-term US-NATO imperialist expansion for geopolitical and economic influence in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea fuels the undermining of the peaceful coexistence of peoples. “& Nbsp;
ANNA KOUKOKIDI ;
Sanctions will affect the Cypriot economy
“Cyprus will be affected by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, on the one hand because it is an EU member state and on the other because it is a country that has close ties with Moscow,” said the senior fellow at the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs at the University of Nicosia. , Anna Koukkidi-Prokopiou. “The imposition of European sanctions will directly affect the Cypriot economy, hence the Republic's opposition to cutting Russia off from the international SWIFT payment system. “At the political level, we have already received a warning taste of the consequences of a deterioration in our relationship with the Kremlin with the statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”
Mr. Koukkidis, a quick end to hostilities, so that we have as few losses as possible in human lives. “Development will depend on the way in which Vladimir Putin moves to replace the government and arrest those who 'bother' him.” At the same time, he assessed that this war is a review of the roles of the international system but also a redistribution of the balance of power in the wider region of Eurasia, in the central territorial mass of our planet. “As we would say in geopolitical terms: 'Who rules the Heartland, rules the world'”. & Nbsp;
