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ATTEMPTS TO FLARE UP HYSTERIA OVER NICOSIA'S PURCHASE OF RUSSIA'S DEFENSIVE MISSILES SAPS PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT ON CYPRUS

NICOSIA, JANUARY 9, RIA NOVOSTI - The Russian S-300PMU-1 anti-aircraft complex to be supplied to Cyprus under a relevant contract is a purely defensive type of weapons, Cypriot government spokesman Yannakis Kasoulidis told newsmen on Wednesday following the government session. "This fact is well known to many Western arms-producers," he added.

Supporting the Kasoulidis statement, Greek government spokesman Dimitris Peppas expressed confidence that his country would join the Cypriots' diplomatic efforts to clarify the misunderstanding which has arisen in connection with the Russian-Cypriot transaction causing uproar in the West. Peppas has called upon all countries, showing anxiety over the strengthening of the Cyprian defensive potential, to recall President Glafkos Kloridis's earlier-advanced proposal on the complete demilitarisation of the island.

In an interview to his country's information agency, Cypriot Foreign Minister Alekos Mikhailidis pressed the need of new efforts to facilitate a Cypriot settlement. In his words, over the past 22 years the world community has done virtually nothing to help withdraw the 35-men-strong Turkish contingent from the island. This is why the Cypriot government considers it to be its moral duty before the nation to take up action to ensure its security and create necessary defences. According to Mikhailidis, Turkish planes can be constantly seen flying over the territory of Cyprus while several months ago a Turkish spy aircraft rose to the skies to make a meticulous photo survey of the island. "If a new aggression on the part of Turkey is planned, we at least will observe Turkish planes with the help of Russian systems. Some may believe that the current situation is normal, but we cannot say that such peace suits us," said the minister.

"The efforts to flare up of hysteria around the Russian-Cypriot contract on anti-aircraft S-300PMU-1 complexes add to the discrepancy between the conflicting sides and undermine the search for a peaceful and fair settlement on the island," Russian Foreign Office spokesman Gennady Tarasov said today at a briefing. In his words, it is an ordinary commercial transaction on the arms market while military and technical cooperation between sovereign states is their inalienable right under international law.

He noted that certain countries must hate Russia to re-emerge on arms markets with extremely reliable and sophisticated products. Gennady Tarasov utterly rejected allegations that the said contract could destabilise the situation on the island and in the region, adding that the tactical parameters of the complex point to its being a purely defensive weapon which can present no threat to other states. Besides, the current line-up of forces on the island can be described as 1:3, in terms of personnel strength, and 1:2, as to military technology, in favour of the Turkish occupation troops, with the complete absence of battleships and aviation on the part of the Greek community. Therefore the striving of the Cypriot government to create a certain deterrence is quite comprehensible, noted the Russian diplomat. (kol/var)