"Moscow hopes that the European Union will overcome this thinking and will be able to abandon the policy toward Russia based on lowest-common-denominator approach, and stop toeing the line of a small but aggressive group of russophobic countries, which play the anti-Russian card to solve their mercenary tasks," Lavrov said in interview with the Cypriot newspaper Simerini, issued on Sunday.
According to the foreign minister, several rounds of EU sanctions imposed on Russia under the pressure of the United States have "seriously damaged relations between our countries." He also praised Cyprus commitment to normalize relations with Russia.
READ MORE: Lavrov Says Current EU Policy Toward Russia Determined by 'Russophobic Minority'
"We appreciate the position of Cyprus, which stands for soonest normalization of Russia-EU relations. The prospects for the full resumption of dialogue between Russia and the European Union have been discussed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades in October this year," Lavrov said.
In 2014, relations between Russia and the West deteriorated over Moscow's alleged involvement in the Ukraine conflict and Crimea's reunification with Russia. The European Union, imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia's energy, banking, and defense sectors, among others, as well as on a number of Russian officials. Moscow denied the accusations and introduced a set of countermeasures in response to the restrictions.
