Russian, Cypriot presidents discuss restoration of Christian presence in Middle East

MOSCOW, October 24. /TASS/. Russia and Cyprus favor restoration of Christian presence in the Middle East, Russian President Vladimir Putin said after negotiations with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades. The Russian president noted that Cyprus is located near the Middle East region, and during today’s negotiations the Russian side informed the republic’s government "on our efforts in the fight against terrorism in Syria." "We’ve talked about the necessity to restore Christian presence in this part of the world [the Middle East] and talked about the necessity to restore communities and a normal dialogue between them," the Russian leader said. In addition, Putin said that he informed Anastasiades on "the situation that is developing under the Minsk process to settle [the situation in] southeast Ukraine." The Russian president expressed his gratitude to the Cypriot side for a substantial and constructive dialogue. Read more