EU leaders have pledged to support Cyprus as it seeks an open and frank discussion on the future of the British bases on the island. These bases have become a target after the outbreak of the latest Middle East crisis, as many Cypriots view them as remnants of colonialism that may compromise the island’s sovereignty and security.
Ahead of an EU summit on Thursday, 19 March, Cyprus’s president, Nikos Christodoulides, asserted that he had requested an open and frank discussion with the British government regarding the status and future of the British bases on the island.
He opined that the bases were a colonial consequence but declined to share if he wished to see them gone, adding that Cyprus had a clear approach and would not negotiate publicly.
He added that we have more than 10,000 Cypriot citizens with the British bases. He believed that we have a responsibility for those people, and when the situation is over in the Middle East, we intend to have an open and frank discussion with the British government.
The Akrotiri and Dhekelia bases comprised 256 km² (99 miles²). It remained UK sovereign territory when Cyprus became independent over six decades ago in 1960. The British government uses these bases as training areas and staging posts for operations in the region.
As tensions in the Middle East region have escalated, Cyprus has been increasingly concerned with the presence of the British bases, which make Cyprus a de facto target for Iran. This is due to Iran’s longstanding fraught relations with the UK.
Those fears were realised earlier this month when an unmanned, explosive-laden drone crashed on the RAF Akrotiri runway on Monday, March 2. Iranian proxy Hezbollah launched this drone from Lebanon. 2 other drones were intercepted which were heading in the direction of the base the next day.
After Christodoulides’s intervention, EU leaders on Thursday, 19 March, endorsed a text stating firm and unequivocal support for member states closest to the Middle East. The European Council acknowledges the intentions of Cyprus to initiate a discussion with the UK. The focus was on the UK bases in Cyprus, which stand prepared to provide assistance as needed.
