French President Emmanuel Macron arrived at the presidential palace on Thursday afternoon to hold talks with his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides.

Macron’s arrival was somewhat delayed, with some surmising that the delay may have been caused by farmers demonstrating at the Rizoelia roundabout, which is one of the key junctions on the route between Larnaca airport and Nicosia.

He was joined in the capital by his Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, while both Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna were at the palace to welcome the French delegation.

Upon his arrival, Christodoulides shared with him a joke about the existence of the British coat of arms on the front of the palace.

The pair and their delegations then entered the palace for talks, with it expected that they will make statements later in the afternoon, before both head to Ayia Napa for the first part of this week’s informal European Council summit.