Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — French Defense Minister Florence Parly and her Cypriot counterpart Christoforos Fokaides have discussed the ongoing fight against extremism and ways of bolstering security in the eastern Mediterranean.
A statement said Parly's stopover in Cyprus Monday on her way to Jordan was part of her first visit to French forces deployed overseas in the sensitive region. Parly earlier visited the French Navy frigate Langeudoc which is operating in the area.
The statement said talks centered on the international coalition's combat operations in Iraq and Syria as well as ways of strengthening Europe's defense.
Fokaides said he also briefed Parly on exploratory oil and gas drilling that a consortium of France's Total and Italy's Eni is now carrying out 104 miles (167 kilometers) off Cyprus' south coast.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.