Source: CNA
Murat Zyazikov, former President of the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, has been appointed as the new Russian Ambassador to Cyprus, according to a decree by the Russian President published on the official website of the Kremlin.
He will succeed Stanislav Osadchiy who served as Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Cyprus since 2013.
The 65-year-old Ambassador has studied history and law and served in key positions related to state security especially in the Caucasus for the KGB initially and after the dissolution of the Soviet Union for the FSB as deputy director in the Astrakhan region, according to his official curriculum.
He has served in positions, in close cooperation with President Putin, as President of the Republic of Ingushetia in the Russian North Caucasus from 2002 to 2008, and until 2012 he was an adviser to the President on Cossack issues. Since October 2012 he was deputy plenipotentiary representative of the President in the Central Sector of Russia.
According to the Greek City Times, some media in Greece are saying that his appointment could be a signal to Nicosia and its criticism of Russia’s war in Ukraine since Zyazikov is Muslim. They are also insinuating that the move could be a sign of Vladimir Putin’s goodwill towards his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the leader of the pseudo-state of Turkish-occupied northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar.
