Krasnodar, 19 June – Yug Times. Our today’s interviewee is Mr. Ilias Mavrokefalos, Consul General of the Republic of Cyprus in Krasnodar.
Q.: What was your first work you were engaged in immediately after your appointment last April?
A.: At first, of course, it was a period of adaptation. In near future, our contacts will become more intensive with the aim of strengthening of our all-round relations. The purpose of our stay here is to contribute to the strengthening of the bilateral trade-economic and business relations, as well as social and cultural links between Cyprus and your region. However I have been working here for two months only, I can see huge prospects in all domains.
Q.: Currently, Russia stays in a certain economic isolation. Can the Western sanctions and Russian counter-sanctions hinder business communication between Cyprus and Russia, and Kuban in particular?
A.: Regretfully, currently we are going through a crisis in Russia’s relations with what we call the Western world, whose part the European Union is, and whose full member the Republic of Cyprus is.
However, for us Russia has always been a very important country, and we have never hidden this fact from our European partners. Cyprus is striving for a new rapprochement between Russia and the EU, which in our opinion will be useful for the both parties.
Q.: Do you plan to follow the World Cup matches, and who will you be supporting?
A.: I will absolutely keep an eye on this event. Regretfully, there won’t be matches played here in Krasnodar, but I am hoping to see a match in the nearby cities of Sochi or Rostov, or in another city.
I am fond of the Uruguayan team, because I like Luis Suarez and the passion he and his mates play with. I also like the Egyptian player Mohamed Salah, and of course the national team of Iceland, a small country like Cyprus that has proved that with the help of desire, labour and determination even small countries may participate and succeed in championships.
Who will I be supporting? As far as neither Cyprus nor Greece are participating, it’s Russia of course!
Follow our news on Facebook
За всеми важными новостями следите в MAX, Telegram, во «ВКонтакте», «Одноклассниках», YouTube и на Rutube
