Statement Regarding The Stationing Of French Troops In South Cyprus
The Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus campaign strongly condemns the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement between the Greek Cypriot administration and France, which establishes a legal framework for the stationing and operation of French military personnel in South Cyprus.
This agreement represents a further step in the ongoing militarisation of South Cyprus and follows an expanding network of military and strategic cooperation between the Greek Cypriot administration and foreign powers, including France, Greece and Israel. At a time when confidence-building and regional stability should be the priority, the decision to deepen foreign military involvement on the island sends entirely the wrong message.
The Greek Cypriot leadership has sought to present this arrangement as a humanitarian agreement. Such a characterisation is difficult to reconcile with the substance of the agreement itself. An arrangement which provides for the deployment of foreign military personnel, enhanced defence cooperation, access to facilities and expanded military coordination is, by any reasonable assessment, a defence agreement. The public deserves clarity regarding the true nature of what has been agreed.
Of particular concern is the fact that this agreement has been concluded without any consultation with the Turkish Cypriot people, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, or the other guarantor powers on the island, namely Türkiye and the United Kingdom. Given the implications such arrangements have for the security and strategic balance of Cyprus, the exclusion of key stakeholders raises serious questions about both the process and intent behind the agreement.
Cyprus is not a unitary state represented solely by the Greek Cypriot administration. It remains an island inhabited by two peoples, with two administrations, whose political future has yet to be resolved. The continued practice of making unilateral decisions affecting the security, strategic direction and future of the entire island, while claiming to act on behalf of all Cypriots, remains one of the central obstacles to building trust between the two sides.
For more than fifty years, Cyprus has enjoyed a period of relative peace and stability. Rather than pursuing policies which encourage cooperation, mutual confidence and meaningful engagement between the two sides, the Greek Cypriot administration has increasingly chosen a path which combines the international isolation of the Turkish Cypriots with the growing militarisation of South Cyprus through external partnerships and foreign military involvement.
This approach is both unnecessary and deeply concerning. Efforts to alter the strategic balance on the island without the participation or consent of the Turkish Cypriot side risk increasing tensions, undermining confidence and further complicating an already unresolved dispute.
The future security of Cyprus cannot be determined over the heads of the Turkish Cypriot people. Any sustainable approach to the island’s future must recognise that decisions affecting its security, sovereignty and stability concern both peoples and cannot be imposed unilaterally by one side.
The Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus campaign therefore calls upon both France and the Greek Cypriot administration to reconsider this course of action and to pursue policies which contribute to stability, dialogue and regional cooperation rather than further militarisation.
