Cyprus is said to be seeking new security arrangements for Britain’s military bases on the island after it was targeted by Iranian drone attacks.
Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides reportedly raised the issue during a lengthy call with Sir Keir Starmer on Saturday, after he vowed to have an “open and frank discussion with the British government” over the future of RAF Akrotiri.
Mr Christodoulides is seeking to renegotiate the security arrangements of the 1960 treaty, which established the sovereign bases of RAF Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus, according to The Telegraph.
However, it is not believed that Cyprus will demand Britain to give up the bases entirely.
A UK Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the status of the bases was not up for negotiation and that the “long-standing friendship” between the UK and Cyprus “remained strong”.
“The status of the Sovereign Base Areas is not in question. The SBAs have never been part of the Republic of Cyprus as UK sovereignty was retained over these areas when Cyprus became independent in 1960. We have no plans to change this,” the spokesperson said.
It comes after RAF Akrotiri, a British military base in Cyprus, was hit by an unmanned drone strike at the start of the Iran war, raising concerns that the base could be a threat to the island’s security.
The attack prompted Britain to send the warship HMS Dragon to the country, though the vessel only arrived in the eastern Mediterranean on Monday, almost three weeks after its deployment was first announced.
Mr Christodoulides has described the bases as a “colonial consequence” and said the Cypriot government has a responsibility to the 10,000 citizens living within the bases amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Speaking upon his arrival at the European Council summit in Brussels last Thursday, Mr Christodoulides said: “The British bases in Cyprus are something that is a colonial consequence… We have more than 10,000 Cypriot citizens within the British bases.
“We have a responsibility to those people… we are going to have an open and frank discussion with the British government.”
Asked whether he wants rid of the bases, he said that “we have a clear approach with regard to the future of the British bases”, adding, “I am sure that you understand that I am not going to negotiate in public”.
It comes as the conflict in the Middle East rages on, as the UK works to develop a plan to reopen the vital oil shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz.
The blockade has seen oil prices soar above 100 US dollars a barrel and prompted Shell boss Wael Sawan to warn at an industry conference on Tuesday that Europe could face oil shortages by next month if it remains closed.
Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded that other nations take a role in opening the strait, and the UK is currently leading efforts to formulate a plan to achieve that.
In a call with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, on Tuesday night, Sir Keir said the UK was “now working with partners on what a viable plan could look like to ensure the flow of goods through the key maritime route”.
However, any deployment of naval vessels is understood to be unlikely to take place while Iran continues to threaten ships in the strait with missiles and drones.
