The China Mail - Macron discusses security in Cyprus, plans aircraft carrier visit

His visit to Cyprus comes after the island nation and EU member was targeted by Iranian-made drones last Monday and as the war pitting the US and Israel against Iran entered its second week, sowing chaos across the Middle East and sending global oil prices soaring.

The French leader, who arrived in Paphos on the southwestern coast of Cyprus earlier Monday, met Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for talks.

The drone attack led Macron to order France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean, as well as a frigate and air defence units to the island. France has insisted its stance in the region is "strictly defensive".

He was scheduled to visit France's flagship which the Elysee says is currently stationed off the coast of Crete, on Monday afternoon.

Once on board, Macron will hold discussions with the sailors serving in the carrier strike group, the Elysee said.

The aircraft carrier's deployment aims to "bolster the military assets already present in the region in order to take the necessary measures to ensure the security of France, its citizens, and its bases, as well as that of its allies in the region", said Macron's office.

The presidency earlier said that the visit to Cyprus aims to demonstrate "solidarity" and outline measures to "strengthen security" in the region.

During his visit to Cyprus, the French leader was also to discuss freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

A government spokesman for Cyprus, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, has said Macron's visit will allow the leaders of Cyprus, Greece and France to assess the "high level of coordination" between their nations.

Separately, Macron on Monday morning spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in the Middle East and Lebanon, the Elysee said.

There have been numerous attacks targeting the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global crude passes and where maritime traffic has all but halted since the war began on February 28.

A French frigate is already taking part in the EU's "Operation Aspides", which was launched in the Red Sea in 2024 to prevent attacks on trade vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces.

H.Ng--ThChM