President of France, Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, are in Paphos to hold discussions with President Nikos Christodoulides on regional developments and ongoing coordination among partner countries.
Macron is expected to leave Cyprus as soon as the meeting concludes.
According to Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis the visit comes amid “constant and ongoing coordination” between the Cypriot President and leaders of European Union member states and countries in the region.
Macron and Mitsotakis will pay a short visit to Paphos, during which they will assess together with the Cypriot President the current regional developments.
“President Macron’s visit to Paphos expresses France’s solidarity with Cyprus, a member state of the European Union, with which we have an agreement of strategic importance,” sources close to the Elysee said.
The same sources said that the purpose of the visit is to strengthen, together with European partners, security in Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean region, with the aim of de-escalating the crisis in the region.
This visit will also allow the French President to underline how important it is to ensure freedom of navigation in the region, mainly with the EU's "Aspides" naval operation, the same sources said, who at the same time underline that the visit will provide the opportunity to coordinate efforts regarding the safety of European citizens who are in dangerous areas, as well as regarding their repatriation operations.
It is noted that the Greek Prime Minister wrote in his social media accounts that in the past week we saw how the upgrade of Greece’s national diplomacy and defence in recent years is being translated in practice into security and solidarity.
“Because as soon as the conflict in the Middle East threatened the Hellenism of Cyprus, Greece stood by its side without hesitation. Our example was followed by other partners as well, extending a European network of air and naval protection around the island. Thus, the obvious was confirmed: when European territory is threatened by external dangers, our common response can only be immediate and strong,” the Greek Prime Minister noted.
In the early hours of 2 March, a Shahed-type drone struck military facilities in the British Bases, hosted in Akrotiri, in the southern tip of Cyprus, causing minor damage, amid regional turmoil following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. The attack by the Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle, believed to be linked to Hezbollah operating in Lebanon, prompted heightened security measures, while several countries, including Greece and France said they were deploying warships, aircraft and other air defence assets to shield Cyprus. The UK also announced the dispatch of a warship. Nicosia reiterates that it has no involvement in the wider Middle East conflict.
(Source: CNA)
