Cyprus president urges Britain to consider island’s security over bases — Cyprus Mail
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham in New York, United States, urged London to seriously consider the Republic of Cyprus’ relations with neighbouring countries and the security of the island’s population when making decisions on the use of British military bases.
As Cyprus Mail reports, the Cypriot president stressed that the Republic of Cyprus does not participate in military operations. According to government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Christodoulides also said that Cyprus’ security, its population and the countries of the region should be taken into account when decisions on the bases are made.
Support for Saudi Arabia
The talks took place less than 24 hours after the United Kingdom agreed to provide Saudi Arabia with additional military support of a defensive nature amid renewed attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement and escalating violence in the region.
The British government said it would provide an RAF Voyager tanker aircraft to support Saudi Arabia’s defensive activities in support of Yemen’s legitimate government. The Financial Times reported that this support could be carried out from a British base in Cyprus, with RAF Akrotiri near Limassol named as a possible location. The UK Ministry of Defence declined to comment on operational details.
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On March 2, Akrotiri was hit by an Iranian-made drone. After that, Christodoulides said he intended to hold an open discussion with British authorities about the future of the bases. The European Council expressed readiness to assist the Cypriot government in such discussions, while the United Kingdom insists that the status of the bases is not subject to negotiation.
The Cyprus issue
Christodoulides and Burnham also discussed the Cyprus issue. According to Letymbiotis, the president informed the British prime minister about recent developments and efforts to create conditions for the resumption of substantive negotiations. He also asked Burnham to personally support the UN secretary-general’s efforts to resume the negotiation process.
In New York, Burnham also met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman held meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN envoy on the Cyprus issue, María Ángela Holguín.
