Paris: President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, in Paris for the Bastille Day celebrations, will meet with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and foreign leaders. According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides arrived in the French capital on Monday, responding to an invitation from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to attend the military parade of the French Armed Forces, which will take place on the Champs-Élysées on the occasion of France's National Day. Yesterday in Paris, the President of the Republic met with the National Guard personnel who will take part in today's parade of the French Armed Forces for France's National Day, following an invitation from the French Armed Forces. Addressing the members of the elite unit in the presence of the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Theodorou, President Christodoulides said that the honorary invitation to parade with the flag of the Republic of Cyprus on the Champs-Élysées before heads of state and government, beyond its high symbolism, reflects, among other things, the importance of the Cyprus-France strategic cooperation, with relations between the two countries being at the highest possible level. He also congratulated the National Guard personnel who worthily represent, he said, Cyprus in international missions and various bodies, while assuring them of the Government's ongoing interest in the continuous upgrading of the defense capabilities of the Republic of Cyprus. The President of the Republic, who will return to Cyprus late this afternoon, is accompanied in Paris by Deputy Government Spokesman Yiannis Antoniou and other officials.