Cypriot party leader calls for closure of British bases

Stefanos Stefanou, leader of Cyprus’s communist party Akel, has renewed calls to shut down British military bases on the island, warning that their presence makes the country a target in international conflicts.

Stefanou noted that once again, the peoples of the world are paying a heavy price in blood for the interests of the powerful, Caliber.Az reports per Cypriot media.

“This time, our small homeland was targeted, and not by chance. The presence of the British bases turned us into a target,” he said at an event held to mark International Women’s Day.

He added that his party has been “emphasising this for decades, calling for the abolition of the bases,” and stressed that “the challenge now is to make it clear at every opportunity that Cyprus is not and does not want to become a war base.”

“Let the message leave Cyprus that our country is not involved in and does not want to be involved in any way in the war, but that it stands with the international community, which calls for an immediate end to hostilities and for diplomacy to take hold,” he noted.

Earlier, former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that Cyprus “is only a target because of our sovereign bases there.” 

Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos highlighted that the government has consistently warned of risks to British bases if regional tensions escalate. 

The remarks follow an incident in which the Akrotiri airbase near Limassol was struck by an Iranian drone shortly after midnight on March 2.

By Jeyhun Aghazada