The situation in Cyprus remains under control, despite concerns raised following the incident involving an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle near a British base, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, has said. During another interview with British media outlets, the Minister told Newsnight on BBC that daily life continues as normal.
“Life goes on as normal,” he said, underlining that schools, universities, as well as the public and private sectors are operating without disruption.
Concerns over bases
As he noted, several alerts or false alarms have been recorded in recent days. However, he underlined that the people of Cyprus have demonstrated resilience and adaptability. At the same time, he added that Cypriot authorities have substantially strengthened their capabilities to address such situations, based on guidance from military experts.
Referring to the British military bases on the island, Kombos said that the issue raises questions and concerns, noting that Nicosia’s dissatisfaction had been expressed both before and immediately after the incident. He stressed, however, that the immediate priority is the effective management of the crisis.
“We are now focusing on the current situation and how we can manage the crisis” he said, adding that once the situation de-escalates there will be a comprehensive assessment of the events, the issues that have arisen and their possible consequences in the future.
Crisis 'unlikely to end soon'
Asked about the future of the British Bases in Cyprus, the Cypriot Foreign Minister said that the matter has been on the agenda of discussions between the two sides for years, noting that a more substantive discussion should take place after a careful evaluation of recent developments.
At the same time, he also referred to his contacts with his American counterpart Marco Rubio, noting that in his assessment the current crisis in the wider region is unlikely to end soon.
As he said, there is significant concern across the region, with issues such as energy, inflation, the economic situation and maritime security directly affecting many countries.
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.
CNA