French president to visit Cyprus on December 9

The government has confirmed that French President Francois Hollande will pay a visit to Cyprus on December 9.

Government spokesman Nikos Christodoulides confirmed the visit on Twitter.

Earlier Saturday, the office of the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras in a statement following his meeting with Hollande in Abu Dhabi, said that “in view of the imminent visit of President Hollande to Cyprus, the two men welcomed the resumption of the talks on Cyprus and discussed the developments on the issue”.

Although previously expected on the island, the US Secretary of State John Kerry has not included Cyprus in the programme of his December 4-8 European tour.

But on Friday the US State Department expressed its support for the leaders, expressing satisfaction with the decision to resume the talks.

“We are pleased to hear the leaders have agreed to resume their negotiations. The United States reaffirms its continued support for the leaders as they try to reach a comprehensive settlement to reunify the island as a bizonal, bicommunal federation, which would benefit all Cypriots as well as the wider region,” an official 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.