MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2018) The authorities of Cyprus do not seek and have not ever sought to militarize the country, Prodromos Prodromou, the Cypriot government spokesman said.
On Wednesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Moscow has been receiving information about the US authorities exploring possibilities to boost military build-up in Cyprus.
"We would like to clarify that it has never been our aim nor do we now seek the militarization of Cyprus," Prodromou said as quoted by the In-Cyprus news outlet.
Cyprus backed only humanitarian operations of a country if this state had requested the support or if Nicosia had concluded a memorandum of understanding with this country, the government spokesman added.
Zakharova has warned that the US military build-up in Cyprus would destabilize the country. The diplomat suggested that Washington sought to counter Moscow's increasing influence in the region in the light of Russia's successful anti-terror operation in Syria.
