Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said the government had consistently warned that the United Kingdom’s bases on the island could be targeted if regional conflict escalates. His remarks followed a drone strike on the Akrotiri air force base.
Warnings and drone strike
Kombos told the Guardian that Cyprus had repeatedly communicated concerns that the bases could become targets “if things move in a specific direction regionally,” adding that this concern had been shared consistently.
He said the outcome of those conversations was reflected in what transpired on Sunday night, with the Akrotiri air force base near Limassol hit by an Iranian-made drone shortly after midnight last Monday.
Kombos said not everything that could have been done met expectations held by Cyprus and by Cypriots working on the bases, and he added that he was sure the British government shared those expectations. He said his focus was on improving cooperation.
Domestic pressure over the bases
Kombos’ comments came after a protest in Nicosia calling for the removal of the British bases, which were not ceded to the Republic of Cyprus when the island gained independence from the British Empire in 1960.
President Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday that “nothing has been ruled out” regarding the bases’ future following the drone strike, as other political circles on the island expressed discontent over the bases’ continued operation.
Akel said last week that the strike confirms dangers for Cyprus and its people due to the presence of the British bases, adding that the demand for their dissolution remains “both timely and timeless.”
Opposition was also voiced from Turkish Cypriot political circles, with CTP deputy leader Asim Akansoy saying on Tuesday that the UK’s continued possession of two sovereign bases on the island is “a great mistake of history.”
UK defence measures
Over the week, the UK sought to bolster defence of its bases by sending two AW159 Wildcat helicopters armed with anti-drone missiles to Cyprus. The HMS Dragon Type 45 destroyer was also expected to depart from Portsmouth within the coming days.
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