NICOSIA, Cyprus – The vice president of a new political party in Cyprus says Russian Cypriots who inspired the creation of the movement want to mold the country into a progressive European nation.
Belarusian Ivan Mikhnevich, who holds Cypriot citizenship, said the "I the Citizen" party seeks to keep the island's politics on a centrist trajectory after its founders saw political discourse drifting toward the "ultra-right and left."
Mikhnevich, who is a co-founder of the international game developer Wargaming, said "I the Citizen" is primarily a Cypriot party not intent on protecting the interests of Russians living in Cyprus.
He said the party isn't considering fielding a candidate in Cyprus' presidential election in January, but setting its sights on the 2021 parliamentary elections.