Lavrov: Moscow will back efforts to reach Cyprus peace settlement

Moscow will contribute to efforts to reach a Cyprus peace settlement consistent with UN Security Council resolutions, visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday.

During a meeting with Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos in Athens, Lavrov suggested that the main reason an agreement has not been achieved so far is that “some [countries] do not want to see a solution of the Cyprus issue.”

“We shall not tolerate outside pressure or efforts to impose deadlines,” he said.

Lavrov said that an agreement should be in line with the UN’s Security Council resolutions on Cyprus and enjoy the backing of both ethnic communities on the divided island.

Speaking on the Syria peace negotiations, Lavrov said that other countries have “sabotaged” the process by supporting militant groups aiming to topple President Bashar Assad. He did not provide more details.

The Russian foreign minister was expected to hold talks with Greece’s left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras later in the day.