Cyprus and France have updated their Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and agreed to further upgrade military exercises with more weapons systems, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas told Phileleftheros after meeting his French counterpart, Catherine Vautrin on Thursday.
The ministers also discussed procurement programmes and how to deepen defence ties further. France is central to Cyprus’s plans under the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme, Palmas said, because French weapons systems make up 75 to 80 per cent of the programmes it includes.
Palmas said he raised Nicosia’s concern that Ankara intends to put forward its own candidate to lead the United Nations. He also raised Turkey’s moves on the ‘Mecca agreement’ and its approaches to countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, saying the question was whether these were part of a wider effort to win support for upgrading the status of the “TRNC” and to promote Turkish positions on the Cyprus problem.
The two ministers also discussed the Eastern Mediterranean and the situation in Lebanon. Palmas reaffirmed Nicosia’s position on the war in Ukraine, stressing Cyprus’s commitment to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.
He said the meeting was held in a particularly warm atmosphere, reflecting close ties between Nicosia and Paris since the two countries signed a Strategic Partnership in December 2025. Defence and security are central pillars of that partnership, he added.
What the agreement covers
A Status of Forces Agreement sets out the legal framework for one country’s military personnel on another’s territory, covering matters such as jurisdiction over personnel, customs, tax, logistical access and transit rights. Such agreements are common between allies and do not in themselves create a military alliance.
Government sources told Phileleftheros previously that the Cyprus-France SOFA sets the terms under which French forces can be stationed, train or operate in Cyprus while respecting national sovereignty. It covers military coordination and interoperability; defence technology, procurement and industry links; joint exercises, strategic dialogue and personnel exchanges; and administrative and legal arrangements for forces operating on each other’s territory.
The agreement is reciprocal. It also gives a legal framework for Cypriot personnel training in France or serving on French naval vessels, which count as French territory. French naval expertise has been contributing to the planning and design of Cyprus’s Mari naval base, and that cooperation was expected to deepen as the base is upgraded. The SOFA also allows coordinated responses to regional crises, including evacuations. Cyprus has previously served as a hub for evacuating foreign nationals from nearby conflict zones.
Phileleftheros reported previously that the agreement was due to be signed at ministerial level in June, following a meeting in Nicosia between President Nikos Christodoulides and French President Emmanuel Macron, the first visit to Cyprus by a French head of state. The Strategic Partnership, signed in Paris, set a framework for cooperation in defence, energy, security, innovation and education, with an action plan running from 2026 to 2030.
France deployed its Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group to the region after a drone strike on Cyprus, which Macron described as an attack on Europe. Cyprus has also been in talks to buy Griffon armoured personnel carriers and Serval light tactical vehicles from French defence companies.
Turkish Cypriot reaction
The Turkish Cypriot side declared the agreement null and void. It argued that the deal alters the balance of power on the island, disregards the rights of the Turkish Cypriot people and creates grounds for regional tension, and that Nicosia lacks the authority to conclude such an agreement on behalf of the whole island.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman questioned whether a solution to the Cyprus problem could be reached while Turkish Cypriots are excluded from key decisions. Unal Ustel, the “prime minister” in the occupied north, called the arrangement extremely dangerous and provocative, and an unacceptable step that could damage peace on the island.
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