The BBC has turned its attention to President Nikos Christodoulides’s push for a renegotiation of the British Bases‘ status in Cyprus, seeking comment from the UK Ministry of Defence after his remarks at the European Council made waves in British media.
Christodoulides told the BBC the two military bases are a “colonial consequence” on the island and that their status must be addressed through dialogue.
Speaking in Brussels, he pledged that “when the situation is over in the Middle East we are going to have an open and frank discussion with the British government.”
When asked directly whether he wanted the Bases to leave Cyprus, the president declined to be drawn. “We have a clear approach with regard to the future of the British bases,” he said. “I’m not going to negotiate publicly.”
The BBC noted that any such talks would be highly complicated, as the founding agreements governing the Bases involve the United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey, alongside the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.
The UK Ministry of Defence, responding to the BBC’s request for comment, stressed that the Bases “play a crucial role in supporting the safety of British citizens and our allies in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East.”
It added: “We have been deploying additional defensive capabilities to Cyprus since January, including radar systems, counter-drone systems, F-35 jets, ground-based air defence, and 400 extra air defence personnel.”