Brussels, Belgium. President Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday Cyprus will hold an open and frank discussion with the British government about the future of the United Kingdom’s bases on the island. His comments came as UK officials said the bases’ future is not in question.
Christodoulides’ remarks at European Council summit
Speaking on arrival at the European Council summit in Brussels, Christodoulides said the British bases in Cyprus are a “colonial consequence” and noted that more than 10,000 Cypriot citizens live within the bases. He said Cyprus has a responsibility to those people and linked the issue to the situation in the Middle East.
Asked whether he wants the bases to be “gone”, Christodoulides said Cyprus has a clear approach regarding their future, adding that he would not negotiate in public.
Recent rhetoric and cooperation
Christodoulides’ comments followed remarks a day earlier in which he described the bases as a “colonial remnant”, while also saying on Wednesday that the level of cooperation between the British and Cypriot governments is “extremely positive”.
UK position on the bases
The British government has indicated it is not considering changes to the bases’ status. UK parliamentary undersecretary of state for the armed forces Al Carns said on Tuesday that the bases’ future is “not in question”.
Carns also said that during Defence Secretary John Healey’s visit to Cyprus earlier this month, the Cypriot national guard reaffirmed that the relationship is closer than ever before.
Political reactions in Cyprus and the UK
In the same House of Commons debate, opposition MP Al Pinkerton referred to “growing disquiet within Cyprus” about the bases after the Akrotiri air force base was hit by an Iranian-made drone on March 2.
In Cyprus, Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou called for the bases’ abolition, saying his party has advocated that position for decades and that Cyprus does not want to become a war base.
Turkish Cypriot opposition party CTP deputy leader Asim Akansoy said the UK’s continued possession of two sovereign bases on the island is “a great mistake of history”.
In the UK, former prime minister Rishi Sunak said after the drone strike that Cyprus is only a target because of the sovereign bases. Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said the government had consistently warned that the British bases could become a target in the event of conflict in the region.
What do you think should be discussed in future talks between Cyprus and the UK about the bases?
