Agreement will allow French troops to be stationed on Cypriot territory for humanitarian purposes
France and Cyprus will sign a status of forces agreement on Monday allowing Paris to station troops on the Mediterranean island, two senior Cypriot government officials told POLITICO.
The agreement will be signed by French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin and Cypriot Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas in Nicosia, as both will attend the informal European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in its defense configuration the same day, according to the Cyprus News Agency.
The agreement "will provide for the presence of French forces on Cypriot territory, strictly for humanitarian purposes, as part of the enhanced cooperation we have with the French government," according to Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides (POLITICO, June 7, 2026).
Scope of the Agreement
The pact will define the terms under which French forces can be stationed, train and operate in Cyprus while respecting national sovereignty. According to POLITICO, it will cover: Military coordination and interoperability, defense technology and industry links, joint military, exercises and educational activities and personnel exchanges. It also includes administrative arrangements for forces operating on each other's territory.
Plans for the status of forces agreement were first announced by Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis when French President Emmanuel Macron visited the island in April. Letymbiotis stated at the time that the agreement would "strengthen humanitarian military cooperation and joint action at a regional level".
Macron's Strategic Vision
During his April visit, Macron spoke extensively on defense matters, linking the agreement to broader European security concerns. He noted that the mass deployment of European military hardware in and around Cyprus after the island was hit by an Iranian-made drone in March "constituted a reaffirmation of our determination to secure Europe's space."
"I said it in a simple way on March 9, that when Cyprus was attacked, it was Europe which was attacked," Macron declared.
He further explained that France "reinforced defense capabilities in the region with the deployment of military assets, in particular with the French carrier strike group" belonging to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which has been in the region since last month.
According to the Cyprus Mail, the French president characterized the military support as "this concrete manifestation of the solidarity which links us as members of the European Union," noting that this cooperation was bolstered in December through a strategic partnership signed with President Christodoulides in Paris.
Turkish Cypriot Objections
The planned defense agreement has drawn sharp criticism from the Turkish Cypriot side, which views the deployment as a provocative and destabilizing move.
The Cyprus Mail writes that Turkish Cypriot "Prime Minister" Ünal Üstel lambasted the planned agreement as "extremely dangerous, provocative, and an unacceptable step" that is "likely to seriously damage the atmosphere of peace and tranquillity on the island".
Ustel accused Christodoulides of speaking "on the one hand … of a new negotiation process, while on the other ignoring and disregarding the Turkish Cypriot people," adding that "this contradictory stance clearly reveals his true intentions."
Asserting the Turkish Cypriot position on sovereignty, Üstel declared that "any military presence or action in Cyprus requires the consent and approval of the Turkish Cypriot people" and that "any action taken without this approval is null and void under international law."
Criticizing France's role, Ustel stated: "France, known for its exploitative approach to almost every country it enters, can only offer the Greek Cypriots great disappointment in the long run. France, as an EU member state, poses one of the biggest obstacles to a fair and lasting solution in Cyprus with its attempts to deploy troops to the island."
He called on Macron and the EU to "abandon their colonial mindset regarding the Cyprus issue and adopt a fair stance," warning that "steps taken, and those intended to be taken, which disregard the Turkish Cypriots will inevitably receive the necessary response."
"You are transforming southern Cyprus into a base for foreign soldiers and a sphere of influence for foreign powers. The consequences of this policy will neither benefit you, nor the Greek Cypriot people. My advice is to abandon these dangerous steps, which will jeopardise your future, as soon as possible," Ustel said. "Otherwise, you will be the one who loses again."
Turkey's ruling AK Party spokesman Omer Celik also weighed in, stating that "France's assessments and actions in the entire region, from the Sahel to the Mediterranean, have been repeatedly demonstrated as flawed over the past few years." He added, "It would be in everyone's best interest for France to abandon these approaches and to address its alliance with Turkey on a realistic basis".
Photo: Cyprus Mail