President’s meeting with Macron focuses on defence and energy

France is free to use the Mari naval base and the Paphos airbase for its peace operations in the Eastern Mediterranean, President Nicos Anastasiades reaffirmed on Monday following a meeting with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

During his official visit to France with the First Lady and a delegation, Anastasiades held talks with Macron which included the latest developments in the Cyprus issue, European-Turkish relations and bilateral relations with an emphasis on energy and defence matters.

Macron said that his meeting with Anastasiades was a constructive one, and that he hopes to visit Cyprus for the next Euro-Med Conference which is to take place in Nicosia within the coming weeks. Cyprus is hosting the conference for the first time when leaders of seven Mediterranean EU countries will discuss issues specifically related to their countries, such as migration.

Cyprus and France have already signed a strategic agenda on economy and culture, Macron said, and that they are to further deepen cooperation on the economy.

He also said that the two counties have strong ties in the sector of defence.

“Last year, the French navy visited Cyprus more than 40 times,” Macron said. With the upgrade of the port of the Mari naval base in Limassol, he said, this cooperation will expand.

Macron also said that his government fully supports the operations of the French energy giant Total in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone.

He also pledged France’s support in the recommencement of the settlement talks. “There must be progress and France, as a UN member, can play its role and be much more involved if we are asked.”

Anastasiades said he informed Macron of Cyprus’ active role in the region for the promotion of cooperation, peace and stability”.

He said that they also discussed how Cyprus can assist France and other countries achieve the same goals.

“It is within this framework that we said that the Mari naval base and the Andreas Papandreou airbase may be used by France in its peace operations in the region,” Anastasiades said.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.