President Nikos Christodoulides is in touch with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a bid to upgrade strategic cooperation between the two countries.

Christodoulides told French senators on Monday in Nicosia that their strategic agreement has been in force since 2016 and the aim was to sign a new one at a presidential level.

Deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou told CNA that the 2016 strategic agenda was signed by the foreign ministers to enhance dialogue on security, defence, the economy, education and culture.

Christodoulides informed the delegation of the French senate’s foreign affairs committee on developments in the Cyprus problem, EU matters, the regional crisis, migration, climate change and the day after for Europe with Donald Trump’s election to the presidency of the US.

He also thanked France – the only EU member state which is a permanent member of the Security Council – for its assistance in efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, still ongoing 50 years after the 1974 Turkish invasion.

The president referred to the historic ties between the two countries and the supply of defence equipment to Cyprus.