Cyprus and France signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) on Monday that strengthens defense cooperation between the two nations and allows the deployment, under conditions, of French troops on the island.
The agreement was signed in Nicosia by Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas and his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin, on the sidelines of the informal meeting of EU defense ministers hosted by Cyprus.
Vautrin described Cyprus as a key strategic partner for France and an essential hub for French military operations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
“Cyprus is an essential support point for the conduct of our military operations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Near East,” she said.
She noted that the ports of Larnaca and Limassol host around 30 French naval visits annually, with 21 already recorded since the beginning of this year.
The French minister highlighted the extensive cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces, pointing to joint naval exercises, including Argonaut and Eunomia, aimed at strengthening maritime security, freedom of navigation and crisis response capabilities.
She said cooperation had also expanded in recent years to include land and air operations, military mobility, air defence, operational readiness and logistical support.
Provisions of the Cyprus-France defense agreement
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides announced the agreement’s entry into force on his official social media accounts, stating that the signing and implementation of the SOFA contribute to the shared European objective of strengthening the European Union’s strategic autonomy.
Όταν ο Γάλλος Προέδρος Emmanuel Macron επισκέφθηκε την Κύπρο στις 23 Απριλίου 2026, είχαμε αναφερθεί δημόσια, κατά τη διάρκεια της διάσκεψης τύπου, στην πολυεπίπεδη στρατηγική μας συνεργασία, ειδικότερα στους τομείς της Άμυνας και της Ασφάλειας. Μέσα σε αυτό το πλαίσιο, είχα… pic.twitter.com/E3Gk5IZgX8
— NikosChristodoulides (@Christodulides) June 8, 2026
Under the SOFA, which was discussed during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Nicosia on April 23 and subsequently negotiated between the two sides, French military assets may be deployed in southern Cyprus under certain conditions.
The agreement also provides a legal framework for the presence of French military forces in Cyprus in support of various activities in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
The SOFA, whose entry into force was announced by Christodoulides, also grants France access to military bases and infrastructure in Cyprus.
The agreement is also reported to include provisions on military technology sharing, joint exercises, and strategic dialogue between France and Cyprus.
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