Defence agreement upgraded with France

An updated Defence Agreement between Cyprus and France was signed on Tuesday by Defence ministers Christoforos Fokaides and Jean-Yves Le Drian.

According to a statement, Fokaides was in Paris as the head of a ministry delegation.

The agreement strengthens and updates the existing agreement, in light of new security challenges in areas such as energy security, piracy and crisis management as well as terrorism.

The new deal, it was announced, is proof of the close ties between the two countries and further promotes Cyprus’ role as a security and stability contributor in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

During the visit, Fokaides announced the appointment of a defence attache in Paris as of September, aiming at further strengthening the two countries’ cooperation in defence and security.

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.