OR France and the Cyprus will sign on Monday an agreement on “the status of the military forces” (Status of Forces Agreement – SOFA), which will allows Paris to station troops on the islandaccording to two senior Cypriot government officials who spoke to Politico.
Based on the same source, the agreement will be signed in Nicosia from the French Minister of Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin and the Cypriot Minister of Defense Basil Palmaas both will participate in the informal meeting of its Foreign Affairs Council on the same day European Union for defense matters.
According to the president of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, the agreement “will provide for the presence of French forces in Cypriot territory, exclusively for humanitarian purposesin the framework of the enhanced cooperation we maintain with the French government”.
The agreement will also determine the conditions under which French forces will be able to station, train and operate in Cyprus, with full respect for national sovereignty. It will also cover issues of military coordination, cooperation in defense technology and industryjoint military exercises and training activities and personnel exchanges.
OR Turkish Cypriot side called the deal “null and void” and expressed concerns that it could change the balance of power on the island, ignore the rights of Turkish Cypriots and create tensions.
He also argued that the Republic of Cyprus does not have the authority to sign such an agreement on behalf of the whole of Cyprus.
