Nissi Beach, Cyprus. Cypriot authorities are wavering in their support for their previously declared flight ban on Russian airlines. Credit: Dronepicr/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-2.0The many financial ties Cyprus has with Russia appear to be causing Nicosia to vacillate on the terms for its own airspace ban on Russian flights that was called for in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Just the day after Russia sent its troops into Ukraine, the Cypriot parliament unanimously passed a resolution condemning the brazen move; at that time, President Nicos Anastasiades declared that his nation stood “together with all Europeans.”
Cyprus also agreed with a host of other countries around the globe when it imposed the severe sanctions that barred major Russian banks from participating in the SWIFT financial system.
Cyprus having reservations on Russia flight ban
But its dependence on Russia in the form of tourism and what many around the world consider money laundering may have made Cypriots think again about angering the source of much of the island’s income.
#Update: Video of #Russia|n ambassador to #Cyprus, threatening to cut wheat, oil, gas, and says “Where do you think Russian tourist will go? They will go to Turkey do you want that to happen?” pic.twitter.com/owgftslAQg
— Sotiri Dimpinoudis (@sotiridi) March 1, 2022
“For them to go spend their money over there (Turkey)? Summer is coming up, you’ve closed your airspace – you shot yourselves in the foot,” he declared.
On Thursday night, Cyprus’ national council will debate the flight ban and there may be additional councils called for the coming days, while a major meeting of the EU foreign ministers will take place in Brussels on Friday.
Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides will be there to hear an address by NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg.
President Anastasiades will hold another meeting on the crisis with the government’s top ministers, including those in charge of finance, interior, defense, agriculture, health, transport, energy deputy tourism and deputy shipping, along with the central bank head, on Friday as well.