Drone strike in Cyprus halts EU ministers’ meeting

A meeting of the EU’s European affairs ministers, originally set for March 2–3 in Cyprus, has been postponed following an overnight drone strike on a British air base on the island, a spokesperson for the Cyprus presidency said.

Spokesperson noted that in the early morning hours, there had been a single, isolated incident in which a UAV (drone) targeted the British base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

“The exact origin of the UAV is currently under verification, but it has been confirmed that the Republic was not the target of an attack,” the spokesman added.

The meeting was set to include EU member states’ European affairs ministers, representatives from the European Commission and Parliament, as well as participants from candidate countries and the UK.

Discussions on budgetary matters and foreign information interference were on the agenda, along with separate ministerial meetings with officials from Ukraine and Moldova concerning reforms and EU accession processes.

Cyprus, an EU member state, hosts two UK air bases, considered British sovereign territory. Cyprus currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency.

An overnight strike on the Akrotiri base, resulting in minor damage and no casualties, came shortly after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he would permit the US to use British military bases to “destroy [Iranian] missiles at source.”

By Jeyhun Aghazada