Relations with France ‘at highest level ever’, palace says

Relations between Cyprus and France are at their “highest level ever”, the presidential palace said on Tuesday. “A historic relationship has now been upgraded to a strategic partnership, with specific policies and tangible results. The multifaceted and multilevel cooperation between the two countries is constantly evolving, with particular emphasis on defence and security, energy, connectivity, education and culture,” it said. It added that “at the same time, Cyprus and France share a common approach to Europe’s role in the world and the need to strengthen its strategic autonomy”. “The longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two countries has been proven in practice, to the benefit of Cyprus and France, the European Union, and the wider region,” it said. The strategic partnership between Cyprus and France was signed by Presidents Nikos Christodoulides and Emmanuel Macron in December last year, with Macron at the time describing it as an “important step” and thanking Christodoulides for “the trust you place in our country”. He added that the agreement “underscores the strength of our bilateral relations and our commitment to being even more present alongside you in the eastern Mediterranean”. Christodoulides, meanwhile, said the signing of the agreement “marks a highly significant chapter” in relations between Cyprus and France. With the agreement, he said, “we declare our determination to elevate our bilateral cooperation to a new level”, through “a structured and results-oriented mechanism”. “It is, in essence, a clear political statement and a tangible expression of the strategic nature of our partnership, setting out a shared vision and concrete priorities for the years ahead,” he added. Following this, Macron visited Cyprus alongside Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis days after the island was hit by an Iranian-made drone in March, before also deploying the aircraft carrier the Charles de Gaulle, among other naval vessels, to the island’s vicinity. He said during that visit that “when Cyprus was attacked, all of Europe was attacked”, and that “the presence of all three of us side by side today indicates the strength of these partnerships, their robustness, and that your compatriots can really believe in them”. A month later, he visited the island again and declared that “France loves Cyprus, and our role is to be by your side in practice during difficult tensions” France’s military presence on the island was bolstered in June when it signed a status of forces agreement allowing it to station troops on the island, with Christodoulides having said of that agreement that it would “strengthen humanitarian military cooperation and joint action at a regional level”. Those French forces, he said, will be present on the island “for humanitarian purposes”.