Russia will begin providing consular services to its citizens in the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Lefkosa, a Russian state-run news agency said.

According to TASS, an official from Russia’s Embassy in the Greek-administered Cyprus stated, “We will soon start providing consular services in the northern part of Lefkosa city. The work will be carried out regularly.”

The official indicated that this step is taken to fulfill Russia’s obligations towards Russian citizens residing in the TRNC, noting that the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and France have been providing consular services there for a long time.

It is stated that approximately 50,000 Russian citizens live in the TRNC.