Re-election of Emmanuel Macron to the presidency of France will allow the continuation and deepening of Nicosia-Paris cooperation, internationalist Petros Zarounas told Cypriot News Agency.
At the same time, he noted that the new facts in Europe, as they have emerged due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are expected to change the attitude of both the EU and France towards Turkey. Zarunas said that the first meetings have already taken place with the aim of reviving the co-production programme of the Franco-Italian SAMP-T anti-aircraft and anti-missile system in Turkey.
He added that similar moves are expected on gas issues in order to reduce the EU's dependence on Russian gas. It will not be surprising to see the resumption of the issues included in the EU-Turkey positive agenda. All this means that France in the next period will not support any sanctions policy against Turkey, he assessed.
He also said that it would be possible to see France encouraging the Republic of Cyprus to contribute in a positive way and with concrete steps in this direction.
Asked about the significance of Sunday's election result in France for the EU, the Union's policies and its role on the international scene - in the light of the war in Ukraine. Zarunas pointed out that both the polls and the results of the debate show that it will be difficult or easy for Emmanuel Macron to be the winner of Sunday's election.
His victory will also mean the continuation of France's foreign policy to date, he added.
He noted that in France, despite the existence of a Prime Minister, the country's foreign policy is largely determined and exercised by the President-in-Office.
The main features of Macron's foreign policy were the emphasis and priority on strengthening the EU through the idea of European sovereignty, effective multilateral cooperation at the global level on issues such as environmental protection, France's role as a balancing power in Europe through dialogue with Russia, support for Africa as well as an active presence in the Pacific Ocean. In particular, he said, as far as the European Union is concerned, President Macron is expected to continue his dynamic efforts to strengthen its defence and industrial autonomy alongside active participation in NATO despite the reservations of the Central and Eastern European countries.
A decisive step in this direction is the Strategic Compass adopted in March.
A decisive step in this direction is the Strategic Compass adopted in March. Through the ongoing Conference on the Future of Europe, Macron is preparing to restructure the EU by extending qualified majority voting, Mr. Zarounas said.
This should, he added, allow him to then push for a new enlargement with the gradual inclusion of the Western Balkan countries.
At the same time, the Russian invasion of Ukraine dealt a blow to his dialogue with Russia aimed at shaping a new European security order. This dialogue will continue with the initial goal of a ceasefire in Ukraine, which will then allow the resumption of efforts to reach a broader agreement on European security issues, the internationalist noted.
Asked to refer to the importance of the result of the French elections especially for Cyprus and the close cooperation between Nicosia and Paris that has developed particularly in recent years in various areas, with all its implications in the Cyprus problem, the Eastern Mediterranean, etc, Zarounas noted that Cyprus has for years developed close political, energy and defence cooperation with France.
This cooperation covers bilateral issues as well as European and regional issues in the Eastern Mediterranean. The re-election of Emmanuel Macron as President of France will allow this cooperation to continue and deepen. At the same time, the new facts in Europe, as they have emerged due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are expected to change the attitude of both the EU and France itself towards Turkey, he noted.
He said that in particular, the first meetings have already taken place with the aim of reviving the co-production programme of the French-Italian SAMP-T anti-aircraft and anti-missile system in Turkey. Similar moves are expected on gas issues to reduce the EU's dependence on Russian gas, he said.
It will not be surprising to see the resumption of the issues included in the EU-Turkey positive agenda. All this means that France in the next period will not support any sanctions policy against Turkey, he added.
On the contrary, he continued, it would be possible to see France encouraging the Republic of Cyprus to contribute in a positive way and with concrete steps in this direction.
Finally, France's desire to extend the decision-making process in the EU by qualified majority will have a negative impact on the Republic of Cyprus' ability to promote its own interests within the Union, he concluded.
Source: CNA
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