The re-election of Emmanuel Macron to the presidency of the French Republic gave the European Union a breathing space and kept the prospect of European integration alive, former Foreign Minister George Lillikas told CNA,[/B] when asked to assess the result of the French elections and its importance both for the EU and for Cyprus in particular.
Lillikas pointed out that Macron's vision is an autonomous and independent EU, with a common defence policy and a single European army. "A vision that was put on the brakes by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but not cancelled. This perspective would be cancelled if Le Pen were to ascend to the French presidency," he added.
He further noted that "because of the leading role played by France, political developments in the country affect all other European societies and states, as well as the viability of the European edifice itself."
As he said, "Macron has taken initiatives, first to prevent the war in Ukraine and later to end it. These initiatives have kept the EU on the international scene with a role and a voice."
He noted that "this is of huge importance because it is crucial that when peace is achieved the EU is a party and has a say in the situation that will prevail the day after the war".
"It will be a tragedy if other major actors are involved in the negotiation and the EU is absent for an event taking place on the European continent," the former Foreign Minister noted.
He also said that France is a traditional friend of Cyprus that did not hesitate to use the veto in the UN Security Council to prevent a negative resolution for Cyprus.
"A country that did not hesitate to sell us military weapons systems after the Turkish invasion to strengthen our defence capacity," he added.
He said relations between Cyprus and France are excellent, but they can be further enriched.
"In 2007 we signed a defence cooperation agreement which as a framework agreement should be further deepened. I believe the time has come for us to move in the direction of developing a strategic cooperation along the lines of the recent agreement that Greece signed with France," Lillikas said.
He added that "but there are also areas in which our cooperation is rudimentary, such as the education sector, mainly at university and research level."
"The health sector, innovation, technology, etc., where France has a lot to offer us," the former Minister of Health pointed out."
Source: CNA
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