Paper
Matthew Rojansky
{
"authors": [
"Matthew Rojansky"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "russia",
"programs": [
"Russia and Eurasia"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Russia",
"Western Europe"
],
"topics": [
"Economy"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
Crisis in Cyprus
Despite Cyprus' favorable fiscal and legal enviroment and the fact that Russian state is one of Cyprus' main creditors, Russia's involvement has generated some surprises.
Published on Mar 20, 2013
Source: CNN International
Russia’s deep ties to Cyprus have made the country react quickly to unprecedented EU bailout conditions, involving a simple levy on all deposits. Carnegie’s Matthew Rojansky spoke to CNN International about the relationship between the two countries and the consequences of this still unconfirmed policy.Rojansky characterized the relationship between the two countries as a ‘two-way street’ with lanes of different widths. The size of Russian corporate deposits in Cyprus is comparable to the country’s GDP. Many Russian investors have registered companies on the island to benefit from its favorable fiscal and legal climate. Russia has also become Cyprus’ main creditor over recent years and has offered to grant Cyprus more favorable payback terms, Rojansky added.
To explain rumors concerning a possible geopolitical subtext, Rojansky pointed to the fact that, while investors may not be happy to see 10 to 15 percent of their deposits being withdrawn, this comes at a time when President Putin is trying to convince important civil servants and businessmen to repatriate their funds. Rojansky also noted that such a dramatic step would not have been taken were it not for the EU’s main contributor, Germany, disapproving of Cyprus’ lax attitude to Russian money-laundering.
About the Author
Matthew Rojansky
Former Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Program
Rojansky, formerly executive director of the Partnership for a Secure America, is an expert on U.S. and Russian national security and nuclear-weapon policies.
- An Opportunity for Ambition: Ukraine’s OSCE Chairmanship
- Presiding Over the OSCE: Challenges and OpportunitiesIn The Media
Matthew Rojansky
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Europe
- How Le Pen Benefits from the Stalemate in UkraineCommentary
The domestic impacts of how long it is taking to end the war in Ukraine have pushed the French electorate to the political extremes and compromised the country’s diplomatic capacity.
Rym Momtaz
- The Uncomfortable Truth About EU EnlargementCommentary
Before the next wave of EU enlargement takes place, the union needs to grapple with thorny questions of how power is distributed among its members.
Emil Sondaj Hansen, Ditte Brasso Sørensen
- A Black Sea Truce Is About Global Food Security, TooCommentary
A summer of escalation in the Black Sea has hurt Ukraine economically and is exacerbating world food security. A truce is needed—as is a broader reframing of Europe’s Ukraine strategy.
Thomas de Waal
- Taking the Pulse: Does the EU Have a Germany Problem?Commentary
Are Germany’s economic, industrial, and political struggles becoming a liability for the EU’s ability to rise to the geopolitical moment?
Rym Momtaz, ed.
- The Speech Ursula von der Leyen Can’t DeliverCommentary
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is about to give her annual address on the state of the EU. Here’s what she won’t—but should—say.
Rym Momtaz
