French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated on Friday the European solidarity and support to Cyprus for the solution of the Cyprus problem, during the joint press conference of the Heads of State and Government that followed the 11th Summit of the Mediterranean Member States of the European Union (MED9) in Paphos. President Macron thanked his Cypriot counterpart, President Christodoulides, for organizing and hosting the Summit, expressing European solidarity with Cyprus and its citizens for the events that have taken place in Cyprus over the last 50 years. He added that the Cyprus problem concerns all Europeans, reiterating his support. In his statements, he pointed out, among other things, that the debate on migration and its impact on the European continent is very important. Referring to the current situation in the Middle East, the French President said that "we reiterated the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon. What we now need to do is to free the hostages and protect the civilian victims of th e violence, which threatens the stability of the region and beyond. That is why France has decided to stop arms exports to this war zone. We all know that this is the only means we have to end the fighting." He pointed out that peace in the region can be achieved through diplomacy, saying that "I think we have made progress in this debate today. The humanitarian plan was presented by the King of Jordan today and we fully support it." He noted that France will contribute to this humanitarian plan, as it has done in the past, and expressed hope that "all friends in the region will also contribute to this humanitarian plan, which is absolutely necessary for Gaza." He also said that humanitarian aid is needed for Lebanon saying that there should be a return of the Lebanese armed forces to southern Lebanon. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively Source: Cyprus News Agency
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