Cyprus and France intend to take their relation to the next level through the signing of an enhanced strategic partnership during the forthcoming visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to Cyprus, Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos has said, following his meeting with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot.
Speaking on 31 July, he also expressed the hope that the humanitarian aid delivery project to Gaza through Cyprus will be active again soon, noting that if one wants to talk about the maritime possibility, the address is in Cyprus.
On his part, the French Foreign Minister reiterated France’s commitment to the parameters defined by the Security Council for a just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus issue, while on the situation in Gaza, he said that France will be organising four flights carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian help each starting from 1 August, operating in coordination with Jordan.
In his statements after the meeting, Kombos said that his French counterpart’s visit to Cyprus “serves as a testament to the excellent bilateral relation between our two countries, a relation founded on common values, on principle, and also an excellent people-to-people connection.”
Our common aim is, of course, to take this to the next level, to reposition the relationship in what is a challenging current context, continued Kombos, adding that in the 65 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, they have proved that “whenever there is a crisis, whenever there is opportunity, our two countries are standing together exactly because of shared interests and a strong foundation.”
According to the Foreign Minister, during their discussions on 31 July, they agreed to accelerate and intensify talks in order to set up a stronger, more durable institutional framework that will be guiding bilateral interactions.
He added that to that end, Cyprus and France will be working together in fields like defence, security, energy, education, and culture, areas of considerable joint interest, as he noted.
“We intend to take the relationship to the next level through the signing of an enhanced strategic partnership during the forthcoming visit of President Macron to Cyprus. We had the opportunity today (31 July) to discuss in detail those documents, which will be a milestone in our relation”, he further stressed.
Stronger ties
Ties between Cyprus and France have been growing stronger and faster in recent years, continued the Foreign Minister, referring to examples, such as the expansion of the French Cypriot school and Cyprus' full membership in the family of Francophonie.
He also said that the two countries are strong partners in the sector of defence and security, “pillars for our bilateral relation and also for the regional agenda”, while there is a strong track of cooperation in the energy field, with Total's presence in Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone.
Referring to regional developments, Kombos said that Cyprus, as part of the European Union and also this region, is very much affected by what has been happening in the last months, adding that France is the EU member state that has the most engagement, the most meaningful engagement, perhaps, in this part of the world from the European Union aspect.
He further said that during the Iran-Israel conflict, Cyprus has once again acted as a reliable, safe harbour, facilitating through the ESTIA evacuation plan, the safe return of hundreds of citizens of other countries, among which 388 French citizens who were evacuated through Cyprus.
On Gaza, he commended Jean-Noël Barrot for the very successful meeting that took place in New York in the last few days.
“We cannot overemphasise the urgency for a lasting ceasefire, we cannot overemphasise the need for the immediate release of the hostages. Cyprus has been and remains a consistent supporter of the two-state solution, and we have recognised the State of Palestine since 1988. The Palestinian State, the West Bank and Gaza as integral parts of it, living side by side in peace and security with Israel, and this is a vision that has been pursued through the conference in New York”, he noted.
Regarding Syria, the Foreign Minister said that Cyprus has from the very beginning echoed the calls for supporting the Syrian people through meaningful initiatives which at the same time ensure that there is inclusiveness in terms of governance and also protection and full respect to the rights of all minorities and communities.
“A situation or rather an approach of more for more is what we are looking forward to. Of course, we are asking only one basic thing, and this is good neighbourly relations in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS”, he commented.
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Kombos said he also briefed the French Minister about the preparations for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union that Cyprus will be assuming from January 2026, and explained that its priorities will be centred around making the focus wider to include this region.
“Not only as a region where we have consecutive crisis, but also as a region of opportunity and possibility. Part of these opportunities and possibilities we touched upon today (31 July) in terms of connectivity projects, in terms of how we can make sure that this region fulfils its rich potential”, he added.
Referring to the humanitarian situation in Gaza in particular, the Foreign Minister said the situation that we are all witnessing is “unacceptable, it's unbearable”, and that we must insist and put the pressure on for humanitarian aid to flow in at scale and for the level required so that we have tangible, visible outcomes immediately.
“We are running out of time, and I don't think that we have any other option than to make sure that this becomes a priority, not only at the European, but also at the international level”, he underlined.
As regards France's position in relation to the Cyprus problem, he expressed appreciation of its principled stand, always in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, adding that France is a P5 country, an EU member state, and a very close and reliable partner also in this extremely important issue.
“For us there is no alternative than the UN framework. There is no other way towards moving to a settlement of the Cyprus issue. This is the basis, this is the only basis, and we remain focused to keep working in this direction”, he concluded.
For his part, the French Foreign Minister thanked the Republic of Cyprus for its support for operations to evacuate French nationals from Israel last June, while also expressing France’s solidarity with Cyprus in the face of the fires that have been raging on the island since 23 July.
“This visit illustrates the excellence of our relationship and our shared desire to work to strengthen our bilateral dialogue. The President of the Republic will visit Cyprus in the coming months to conclude a strategic partnership between our two countries, which should consolidate our security and defence relations while broadening the scope of our cooperation to new areas such as innovation, space and the ecological and digital transitions”, he continued.
A loyal friend of Cyprus
“France is a loyal friend of Cyprus. It has always stood by its side, committed to defending its sovereignty, and will continue to do so”, further stressed the French Minister, adding that the two countries’ cooperation is also European, particularly through the European Union's Group of Mediterranean States, and is set to be strengthened under the future Cypriot President of the Council of the European Union from January 2026.
“Together, we share an ambition for the European Union to make its unique voice heard in the world, strengthen its strategic autonomy and defend its interests, particularly its trade interests”, he added, noting that France will continue to support European sovereignty and competitiveness by working in particular to strengthen the European defence industrial and technological base and establish genuine European preference.
According to Minister Barrot, the two men discussed Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and the importance of increasing pressure on Russia to force it to agree to a ceasefire.
“Our two countries are members of the coalition of volunteers to help preserve peace in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, and I welcome Cyprus' commitment in this regard”, he said, adding the two countries have jointly supported the recent adoption of new sanctions against Russia. “These are the strongest measures we have taken since 2022, and we will continue to toughen our stance”, he stressed.
He added he also discussed with his Cypriot counterpart the crises in the Near and Middle East, which he described as particularly significant for Europe's security and especially for Cyprus.
On the humanitarian situation in Gaza, he said they reiterated the urgency of a ceasefire and the need for massive and unhindered access to essential humanitarian aid for the civilian population.
“The initial measures taken by the Israeli authorities are wholly inadequate. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operations, the militarised system for distributing humanitarian aid, must halted, payments owed to the Palestinian Authority must resume, settlement projects and, in particular, the E1 settlement project, which threatens to cut the West Bank in two, must be suspended”, he underlined.
He added that he presented to the President Christodoulides and Minister Kombos the approach France is taking to save the two-state solution by recognising the State of Palestine in September.
“The conference that we co-organised this week with Saudi Arabia in New York resulted in unprecedented commitments and decisions by the Palestinian Authority, Arab countries, and also the United Kingdom and ten other countries that have joined the momentum we have created for the recognition of the State of Palestine within the framework of the two-state solution”, he explained, adding that this morning, Canada, through its Prime Minister, expressed itself in this spirit.
With regard to Syria, according to the French Foreign Minister, the humanitarian and political situation remains worrying and called for an end to the clashes.
“We are convinced that an inclusive political transition that respects all components of Syrian society is necessary”, he noted in that regard.
He also said they have emphasised the importance of respecting the ceasefire in Lebanon and of European support for the Lebanese army in order to ensure the country's stability.
Welcoming extended meetings on the Cyprus issue
Closing, he recalled that France, through the voice of the President of the Republic, welcomed the holding of the extended meetings on the Cyprus issue in Geneva on 17 and 18 March and in New York on 16 and 17 July, under the auspices of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
“The adoption of new cooperation initiatives demonstrates positive momentum towards restoring trust and dialogue. France is committed to the parameters defined by the Security Council for a just and lasting settlement of the Cyprus issue, namely a bicommunal, bizonal federation offering both communities full guarantees of political equality. We stand ready to support this process”, he concluded.
Asked if the Cyprus government is any closer to an arrangement with the Israeli government to resume shipments of aid from Cyprus to Gaza through Israel and whether France is willing to contribute in that effort, Minister Kombos replied in the affirmative, explaining that the government has been trying all this time to set up all the logistical requirements in terms of securing a vessel, collecting a volume of aid, and also implementing the protocol that is in place in terms of the arrangement in relation to screening and so on.
“All of this has been pursued, and as we had the opportunity to have this exchange before, this is of course subject to the situation on the ground. The situation on the ground at this moment in time needs to be verified in terms of security, in terms of the crossing points, in terms of the distribution network, in terms of the actual cost of that aid going in”, he noted, adding that the volume of aid has been growing and expressed the belief that this would be something supplementing the pre-existing situation in terms of the crossing points and the air drops.
“Everything that can go in must be welcomed, and we are ready to contribute to that, like we have done in the past. We are doing our bit, our modest contribution to this terrible humanitarian disaster in order to alleviate it, and we'll hopefully very soon be able or be in a position to publicly confirm that this project is now again active in relation to this new phase that we are right now entering into”, he further said on the matter.
Cyprus support during Israel evacuations
For his part, Barrot commended Minister Kombos and the Cypriot authorities for “the very important role” they have played throughout these 22 months in the front line of this crisis and for their “vital support” when during the 12-day war France had to evacuate or to repatriate several hundreds of French citizens from Israel back to France through Cyprus.
“As far as the situation is concerned on the humanitarian front in Gaza, our priority is an immediate ceasefire, the liberation of all Hamas hostages, and massive and unhindered access of humanitarian help in Gaza”, he noted, reminding that there are 52 tonnes of humanitarian help that have been waiting for months now in Egypt, a few kilometres away from Gaza.
He also confirmed that France will be organising four humanitarian flights carrying 10 tonnes of humanitarian help each starting from 1 August, operating in coordination with Jordan, while also calling for the cessation of the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, “the militarised distribution system of humanitarian help that have generated bloodbath in distribution lines in Gaza, which is a scandal, which is shameful, and which has to stop”.
Asked how much aid is actually in Cyprus at the moment to go to Gaza and whether there are any more concrete plans afoot on possibly using Cypriot facilities for airdrops into Gaza, Kombos said that, at the moment, and this is a dynamic situation, there are about 1,200 tonnes of humanitarian aid in Cyprus.
“But this is growing because there are contributions coming in and of course we have invested part of the fund that we have in place for these purposes in purchasing in relation to what aid is at the moment possible to go in. Until you have the opportunity to press the button and start the operation, I will intend to magnify that”, he added, while reminding that up to this point through the system in Cyprus, which is under the UN umbrella, around 22,000 tonnes, have been sent.
“So in this voyage, it will be a significant, substantial contribution. We have a model in place, we have a system in place that involves the maritime course. We have not engaged into airdrops. We have not put up a plan in relation to expanding operations along those lines because we already have our own project in place”, he added and commended all countries that are willing to find any possible way, either through land, through air, through sea, to contribute to what is a terrible situation.
“All this aid going in, unfortunately, is not going to be enough. So this is, I think, the driving force that should be behind our thinking, that we should be doing everything we can and even more. At this point, I want to commend the countries that have been engaging into airdrops and making a maximum use of the facilities of the surrounding countries who have the experience in doing those kinds of operations because they have been doing it from the very beginning of this crisis”, he continued.
“If one wants to talk about the maritime possibility, I think the address is here, in Cyprus. If one wants to talk about airdrops, there are other addresses that are more convenient and more efficient, if you like. It is not a competition, or if you want, it's a competition of managing to send in as much as possible, as quickly as possible”, he noted on the issue.
Humanitarian flights
As far as France is concerned, Barrot repeated that they will be organising the first four humanitarian flights carrying each 10 tonnes of humanitarian help starting 1 August, operating in close coordination with their Jordanian partners, adding that on the request of President Macron, he is exploring all possible options, “maritime, air, ground, as soon as it will be accessible, through all possible entry points, in order for him to make decisions, depending on the circumstances”.
Asked about any developments in the areas of energy and defence, both ministers said they would not like to engage in any public announcement about the issues that are still forming part the strategic partnership agreement that they have been discussing.
“Until that has been finalised, all those elements that could be in it or not, let's be a bit patient and let our people continue the very hard work. We are all looking forward to the visit by President Macron, so that we could be revealing the details of this joint effort”, concluded Minister Kombos.
(Source: CNA)
