NICOSIA, 10 September. /TASS/. The Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Cyprus is convinced that turnout among Russian compatriots living on the island in the elections to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation will be high, and the basis for this forecast is the electoral activity they showed in the latest presidential elections. The head of the Russian diplomatic mission said this in a conversation with a TASS correspondent.
“The high patriotic feelings and genuine civic consciousness of representatives of the Russian diaspora in Cyprus were clearly reflected in their active participation in voting during the Russian presidential elections in March 2024. We are confident that during the upcoming State Duma elections our numerous compatriots will also show the high sense of responsibility for the fate of their country that is characteristic of them and will demonstrate high turnout at the four polling stations that will open in Nicosia, Limassol and Paphos,” the Russian ambassador noted.
According to him, the more than 150-thousand-strong diaspora of compatriots from the Russian Federation living in Cyprus remains an integral part of the large Russian family. “Our national leader, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, signed a decree declaring 2026 the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. For centuries, representatives of different peoples, cultures and religions have stood shoulder to shoulder, defending the freedom, independence and sovereignty of our country, as well as its right to a bright future. One of the fundamental foundations of our statehood is the extraordinary cultural diversity of more than 190 ethnic groups whose representatives live in mutual respect and a spirit of unity across the vast expanses of our Motherland, and I must state with satisfaction that our numerous compatriots in Cyprus are also guided by these same principles of mutual respect,” the head of the Russian diplomatic mission stressed.
According to Zyazikov, the size of the Russian diaspora on the island has exceeded 150,000, of whom more than 100,000 live in the south of Cyprus and more than 50,000 in the north. “This is a large, active and patriotic community. While maintaining strong ties with their historical homeland, it is an integral part of Cypriot society and makes a noticeable contribution to its development, as well as to strengthening ties between the peoples of Russia and Cyprus, which have unshakable historical and value foundations,” the Russian ambassador to Cyprus stated.
“I am convinced that unity is one of the main virtues of our multinational people. Wherever Russian citizens may be, they still remain part of the large Russian family, for which the main values will always be love for the Motherland, their language and culture, courage, cohesion in the face of any external threats, continuity of age-old traditions, loyalty to the precepts of ancestors, as well as genuine respect for the cultural, linguistic, religious and ethnographic diversity of the entire fraternal family of the peoples of Russia,” Murat Zyazikov said.
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