French President Emmanuel Macron will pay an official visit to Nicosia on Thursday, 23 April, the first official bilateral visit by a President of the French Republic since the founding of the Republic of Cyprus, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis has said in a written statement.
President Macron’s official visit to the Republic of Cyprus, he said, is “a milestone” as regards the relations between the two countries “and confirms, once again, that Cyprus and France move forward as strategic partners with a common orientation, common principles and a shared determination for meaningful co-operation, to the benefit of stability, security and peace in Europe and the wider region”.
According to the spokesperson, Macron’s official visit “carries particular historic significance, as it is the first official bilateral visit by a President of the French Republic since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, and confirms in the most substantive way the excellent level of relations between the two countries”.
He also said that the visit takes place at a time when relations between the Republic of Cyprus and France “are at their highest level” following the signing in Paris in December 2025 of the upgraded Strategic Partnership between the two countries, as well as the 2026-2030 Action Plan, which, he noted, has created a coherent framework for strategic cooperation across a wide range of sectors.
“Particular importance is also attached to the fact that this is President Macron’s second visit to Cyprus in just 45 days, a fact which clearly demonstrates the strategic closeness, convergence of views and common will for the further deepening of cooperation between our countries,” he added.
During the visit, the two Presidents will hold a private meeting at the Presidential Palace and will then chair expanded talks between the delegations of the two countries, he said. “Discussions are expected to focus, inter alia, on the implementation of the Strategic Partnership, the further strengthening of cooperation in the fields of energy, defence and regional security, as well as issues relating to the European agenda and co-operation in the context of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union,” the statement said.
President Christodoulides will also brief President Macron on the latest developments regarding the Cyprus issue and on the efforts being undertaken by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, “with France remaining firmly and consistently in favour of efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue on the basis of the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions,” Letymbiotis noted.
A central pillar of relations between the Republic of Cyprus and France is cooperation in the fields of defence and security, he said, adding that France is one of the most important and most reliable partners of the Republic of Cyprus, both bilaterally and within the framework of the European Union. “This cooperation is founded on shared values, mutual respect and strategic convergence regarding European and regional challenges, while France’s recent practical support confirms the importance it attaches to the security of Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean,” he said. In this context, he said, Nicosia attaches particular importance to the institutional and practical strengthening of the European Union’s mutual assistance clause, in accordance with Article 42.7, as a substantial pillar of the Union’s strategic autonomy.
Following the conclusion of the talks, the two Presidents will make statements to the media and will subsequently visit the French-Cypriot School, “a move of particular symbolism, which highlights the strong ties linking the two peoples”, he said.
(Source: CNA)
