Nicosia: Cypriot MPs, members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, expressed their anticipation for French leadership within the European Union during a meeting in Nicosia with a delegation from the Committee for European Affairs of the French Senate. They also highlighted France’s ongoing support for the Republic of Cyprus.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Harris Georgiades, emphasized the need for closer cooperation and understanding among European partners in response to current challenges. Addressing the French Senate members, Georgiades stated, “We expect even stronger leadership and look forward to French leadership in the EU. France is a strategic partner, not only bilaterally but also for the EU itself.”
Georgiades noted that Cyprus, as a small EU member state, aims to contribute positively and substantively in the Eastern Mediterranean, a region marked by uncertainty and challenges. On the Cyprus issue, he compared the long-standing occupation
problem to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, asserting that Cyprus has progressed as a liberal democracy with a robust economy and seeks a role aligned with EU aspirations.
He urged the EU to more clearly define its regional aspirations and highlighted Turkey’s role as a destabilizing factor, affecting not just its relations with Greece or Cyprus but the region as a whole.
Jean-François Rapin, President of the European Affairs Committee of the French Senate, remarked on the equality of all EU member states, emphasizing that each state’s voice is respected. He recognized the potential influence of Parliaments within EU institutions and acknowledged Cyprus’s strategic importance in the Middle East due to its proximity.
Rapin expressed understanding of Cyprus’s historical challenges, drawing parallels with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and underscored Cyprus’s upcoming EU Presidency in 2026 as an opportunity to convey its messages and play a significant role.
The meeting also addressed broader topic
s such as bilateral relations, the Cyprus problem, global geopolitical issues, climate change challenges, energy, economic concerns, European agriculture, the rise of the far-right in Europe, and migration.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974 following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Despite repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks, a resolution has yet to be achieved, with the last negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana ending without conclusion.