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French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin (l) and her Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas sign an agreement during an informal EU defense meeting. Photo: Petros Karadjias/AP/dpa
Keystone
France and Cyprus have signed an agreement on the possibility of stationing French troops on the third-largest island in the Mediterranean.
The agreement was signed by French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin and her Cypriot counterpart Vasilis Palmas. "France is a strategic partner for us," said Palmas. Cyprus is an important location for the security of the EU in the eastern Mediterranean, explained Vautrin. The meeting took place on the sidelines of an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Nicosia, the Cypriot state broadcaster RIK reported.
The plans for the agreement had already been announced in April during a visit by President Emmanuel Macron to Cyprus. The background to this is increased military activity in the region following the impact of an Iranian drone on Cyprus in March.
Among the EU member states, Cyprus is the country closest to the crisis region in the Middle East. The island in the eastern Mediterranean is only around 150 to 250 kilometers away from Lebanon and Israel.
08.06.2026, 15:24
