Anastasiades congratulates Macron on his re-election (updated)

President Nicos Anastasiades has congratulated Emmanuel Macron for his re-election to the French presidency.

In a message on social media on Sunday, Anastasiades wished Macron “every success in his duties”.

“Today is an important day for France, the EU and the whole world,” the president added.

Macron has won five more years as France’s President after defeating rival Marine Le Pen, who nevertheless secured the far right’s highest share of the vote yet.

He won by 58.55 per cent to 41.45 per cent, a greater margin than expected.

Later on Monday, ruling Disy added its congratulations.

“France is and will remain an enduring ally of the Republic of Cyprus and we look forward to further strengthening our traditionally friendly relations at a difficult time for Europe and the world,” it said.

The latest meeting between the two presidents was in February where the Cyprus problem and Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) proposed by the Greek Cypriot side were discussed.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the European Union – African Union Summit in the Belgian capital.

In a Twitter post, Anastasiades said the two presidents had a “constructive meeting”.

“We had a productive meeting with our friend President @EmmanuelMacron on the subjects of: the Cyprus Problem, CBMs, bilateral relations between Cyprus – France, the continuation of the French Presidency of the EU and international developments,” the tweet read.

“We have agreed to remain in continuous contact,” it added.

On visits to the island, Macron has reiterated Paris’ commitment to the strategically important Cyprus-France relationship aimed at jointly addressing challenges in the eastern Mediterranean, as the two countries share the same vision for peace and stability in the wider region.