Nicosia has a “clear plan” on how to proceed on all issues relating to the British Bases in Cyprus, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday.
He also sent the message that Turkish Cypriots can have a say in negotiations on the matter “once they return to the Republic of Cyprus”, and that Turkey can have a role in the future of the British Bases “once it recognises the Republic of Cyprus”.
In statements to the media after the student parade marking the March 25, 1821 anniversary in Nicosia, and when asked about the position Nicosia will negotiate with London regarding the British Bases, he said that “we are a government that proves in practice, not just in words, that when we respond to specific issues, we have a plan, we have a strategy, and we know clearly where we want to go”.
Noting that he informed the British Government “from the very beginning”, the President said he also briefed the National Council and that “we are moving in that direction. I will not refer publicly to anything related to this matter, as it would undermine the effort we are making”, he added.
He said that, before speaking publicly, Nicosia already has “a clear plan and strategy on how we will proceed step by step on all issues relating to the British Bases in Cyprus”.
Responding to what he described as reactions from the Turkish Cypriot side “that we cannot negotiate the issue of the British Bases”, President Christodoulides said that “our Turkish Cypriot compatriots can have a say in the negotiations on the Bases once they return to the Republic of Cyprus. And Turkey, since it was also mentioned, can have a say in the future of the British Bases once it recognises the Republic of Cyprus”, he added.
He recalled that negotiations had also taken place in the past “not to the extent we wish to initiate with the British side for non-military development in areas within the British Bases, and yes, the British Government responded”.
Asked when these discussions would begin, he said that “our first concern at the moment is managing the crisis”.
“Our positions have been officially conveyed. Some preliminary discussions have already taken place and, I repeat, we are proceeding based on a specific plan and strategy,” he added.
Asked whether London was willing to discuss the matter, he said, “I am not here to speak on behalf of the British government”. He noted that the British Prime Minister speaks for the British government, adding that he himself was speaking for the Cypriot government. “I first spoke with the British and then informed the public,” he said, adding that there are more than 10,000 Cypriot citizens living within the British Bases “citizens who are not second-class. We have an obligation to ensure their safety, just as we do for the entire Cypriot people”.
He said discussions would begin after the end of the crisis in the region.
Asked about the increased security measures at the parade and whether this was linked to the regional crisis, he said that “from the very beginning, and for as long as the crisis continues, security measures have been heightened across Cyprus, because security is our top priority, the safety of the Cypriot people”.
For this reason, he said, the government “acted preventively” after the incident at the British Bases, “in order to further strengthen our country’s deterrence capabilities”.
In the early hours of March 2 a Shahed-type drone struck military facilities in the British Bases, hosted in Akrotiri, in the southern tip of Cyprus, causing minor damage, amid regional turmoil following the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. The attack by the Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle, believed to be linked to Hezbollah operating in Lebanon, prompted heightened security measures, while several countries, including Greece and France said they were deploying warships, aircraft and other air defence assets to shield Cyprus. The UK also announced the dispatch of a warship. Nicosia reiterates that it has no involvement in the wider Middle East conflict.
