The Office of the Consular Department of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Cyprus, which began operating in the north of the island in August 2023, has already served 17,000 visitors since its opening. This was reported to a TASS correspondent by Russian Ambassador to Cyprus Murat Zyazikov.
“During the 17 months of the office’s operation, we have already received 17,000 of our compatriots, providing them with all the necessary consular services. The rhythmic dynamics of the growth in the number of Russian citizens applying for specialized services and legal advice is recorded, which indicates the unconditional demand for the Russian humanitarian presence in the north of the island. Providing all possible assistance to compatriots and ensuring their constitutional rights remains the number one task for Russian diplomats and consular staff. Our main task is to ensure the necessary access to effective consular assistance and assistance to all compatriots in need, and this work will continue in those forms that meet the national interests of our country,” said the head of the Russian diplomatic mission, stressing that the importance of consular services for compatriots in northern Cyprus was recently stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov.
M.M.Zyazikov added that the Russian diaspora in northern Cyprus numbers 50,000 people and is very patriotic towards Russia. The Ambassador recalled that before the opening of the office, Russian diplomats had to organize activities to provide consular support to residents in the field in the buffer zone of the island.
At the same time, many Russian citizens for various reasons, including, for example, expired passports and other documents, were prevented from crossing this zone and using the services of the consular department. Therefore, Zyazikov stated, they did not hide their gratitude to the Russian state for opening the office, which allowed them to gain unhindered access to the full range of consular services directly in the territory where they live.
Opinions of visitors to the consular office
The Russian Ambassador’s assessment was fully confirmed during a conversation between a TASS correspondent and visitors to the chancellery. “I have been living in Kyrenia for more than 10 years, and now I have applied here in connection with obtaining a biometric passport, both for myself and for my children,” said Russian Elena Korkmaz. “This is not my first appeal to the consular department,” she continued, “however, there used to be big logistical problems, as I had to cross the border checkpoint and enter the buffer zone controlled by UN peacekeepers – for example, this was the case when I issued Russian citizenship to my children, and then I had to stand in a large living room to receive consular services. the queue is under the open sky. Now everything has become much more convenient, and I am sincerely grateful to the Russian Embassy for this.”
A similar opinion is shared by another Russian citizen, Irina Permyakova, who has also been living in the north of the island for the past 10 years. “We regularly applied for consular services: we changed passports, received birth certificates, as well as a visa for her husband. And since the office of the consular department of the Russian Embassy has been fully operational, it has become much more comfortable to receive these services, because here you can make a translation and copy documents. Before, I had to run somewhere all the time. Therefore, we are very grateful to those who organized a reception for us in such conditions,” she said.
In the office of the consular department, a TASS correspondent was informed that notary services, registration of new passports, birth and marriage certificates, registration of citizenship of the Russian Federation for minors and confirmation of this citizenship for those who lived in Russia before the collapse of the USSR and then found themselves abroad, are in the greatest demand among Russian compatriots.
