Cyprus Foreign Minister, Ioannis Kasoulides, will hold talks with the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna, on September 9, in Paris, in the framework of a working visit he will be paying to France.
The two Ministers will sign a bilateral agreement between Cyprus and France for the evacuation of French nationals from crisis areas, close to Cyprus.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Demetris Demetriou, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that this is a significant, substantive and meaningful visit.
The two Ministers will discuss about the bilateral relations between the two countries and the possibilities of further deepening them in various fields, as education, trade, security and defence, he noted.
He added that a bilateral agreement will also be signed between Cyprus and France for the evacuation of French nationals from crisis areas, close to Cyprus.
“The agreement highlights the role that Cyprus plays in the broader region,” Demetriou underlined.
Moreover, he said that the two Ministers will discuss about developments in Ukraine and the coordinated reaction of the EU against Russia, as well as the Cyprus problem and the way in which Nicosia views the next steps on this issue.
Moreover, they will look into the situation and the developments in Middle East countries, focusing on developments in Syria and Lebanon, as well as regional issues of mutual interest, he added.
Kasoulides will fly to Paris on Thursday and will return to Cyprus on Saturday. During his visit he will also have meetings with other French government officials as well as parliamentarians.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency