{"id":2581731,"date":"2026-03-19T12:31:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cyprus-reconsiders-future-of-the-british-bases-on-island\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T12:32:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:32:55","slug":"cyprus-reconsiders-future-of-the-british-bases-on-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cyprus-reconsiders-future-of-the-british-bases-on-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyprus reconsiders &#8216;future of the British bases&#8217; on island"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcyprus-reconsiders-future-of-the-british-bases-on-island%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2581731&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Cyprus is rethinking the future of the British bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia in the wake of the Middle East conflict and what it calls a bungled UK defense response. President Nikos Christodoulides told the European Council that the bases are a colonial remnant and must be reexamined once hostilities end, noting that more than 10,000 Cypriot citizens live there and stressing an open, frank discussion with the British government. The move comes <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >amid security tensions<\/a> after iranian-led drones struck RAF Akrotiri, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/at-least-1-dead-as-u-s-osprey-crashes-into-sea-near-japan-with-6-on-board\/\" title=\"1 Dead as U.S. Osprey Crashes Into Sea Near Japan, 6 On Board\">causing minimal damage<\/a> but fueling debate over Britain\u2019s commitment to the island. While British officials insist the relationship with Cyprus remains close, Cypriot politicians-including Stefanos Stefanou-have long pushed to abolish or renegotiate the bases. The discussion unfolds within broader British overseas diplomacy, including the Diego Garcia\/Chagos Islands issue, and is set against domestic political currents in the UK.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Cyprus reconsiders &lsquo;future of the British bases&rsquo; on island after UK bungled defense response<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2537403\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cyprus\/\">Cyprus<\/a> is warning that there will be &ldquo;frank discussions&rdquo; about the future of British bases on the island after the current <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/middle-east\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"102\">Middle East<\/a> conflict is over.<\/p>\n<p>President Nikos Christodoulides said at the European Council summit on Thursday that the &ldquo;British bases in Cyprus are something that is a colonial consequence&rdquo; and must be reexamined when <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4496790\/trump-fixates-strait-hormuz-eyes-off-ramp-iran-war\/\">current hostilities<\/a> end.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4496561\/israel-campaign-iran-regime-change-us-hopes-negotiating\/\">Israel&#8217;s relentless Iran regime change campaign complicates US prospects of negotiating<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4497019\/iran-executes-national-wrestling-team-member\/\">Iran executes national wrestling team member and two others over protests from January<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/4496824\/qatar-iran-embassy-lng-strike\/\">Qatar declares Iranian Embassy attaches persona non grata after LNG facility struck<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;We have more than 10,000 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/cyprus-mail.com\/2026\/03\/19\/we-are-going-to-have-a-discussion-with-the-british-over-bases-christodoulides-says\">Cypriot citizens within the British bases<\/a>. We have a responsibility to those people,&rdquo; the president said. &ldquo;When the situation is over in the Middle East we are going to have an open and frank discussion with the British government.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides speaks during a news conference at Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos, Cyprus, on Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo\/Petros Karadjias)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Asked whether he would like to see the bases removed from the island, Christodoulides said he is &ldquo;not going to negotiate in public,&rdquo; but his government has a &ldquo;clear approach with regard to the future of the British bases.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cyprus was among the nations hit by <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/iran\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"100\">Iranian<\/a> drones following the launch of the joint U.S.-Israeli operation in Iran on Feb. 28. The drones, suspected to have been launched by Hezbollah in Lebanon, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/mar\/02\/uk-airbase-raf-akrotiri-cyprus-suspected-drone-strike\">struck Royal Air Force base Akrotiri<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>No casualties were reported, and the base sustained minimal damage, but the sluggish, underwhelming reaction to the attack has been a sore subject for Prime Minister <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/keir-starmer\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3660\">Keir Starmer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The British government promised to deploy a military presence to the island immediately to safeguard it against future attacks, including the aircraft carrier HMS <em>Dragon<\/em>. More than two weeks after that promise, the <em>Dragon<\/em> is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/news\/2026\/03\/18\/hms-dragon-middle-east-mission-delayed-training-high-winds\/\">still trying to make its way<\/a> to Cyprus.<\/p>\n<p>The idea of renegotiating British military presence on the island is not something the president came up with in a vacuum. <\/p>\n<p>Stefanos Stefanou, a member of the Cypriot House of Representatives and leader of the communist Progressive Party of Working People, reminded the public that his party has been &ldquo;calling for the abolition of the bases&rdquo; for decades.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A British soldier guards at the main gate of the U.K.&rsquo;s RAF Akrotiri, near Limassol, Cyprus, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo\/Petros Karadjias)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The challenge now is to make it clear at every opportunity that Cyprus is not and does not want to become a war base,&rdquo; Stefanou said.<\/p>\n<p>Al Carns, the British Undersecretary of State for the Armed Forces and member of parliament, has pushed back on the idea that recent events have divided the British and Cypriots.<\/p>\n<p>Carns said that when Secretary of State for Defense John Healey visited the island earlier this month, the &ldquo;Cypriot national guard reaffirmed that our <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/cyprus-mail.com\/2026\/03\/17\/future-of-british-bases-in-cyprus-not-in-question\">relationship is closer now<\/a> than ever before.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense\/4497177\/iran-attacks-gulf-states-have-america-orbit-hegseth\/\">IRAN&rsquo;S ATTACKS ON GULF STATES HAVE PUT THEM IN US &lsquo;ORBIT,&rsquo; HEGSETH SAYS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Cyprus question is an unwelcome entanglement for British overseas diplomacy as 10 Downing Street navigates the handover of the Chagos Islands to neighboring Mauritius.<\/p>\n<p>That deal, which Starmer maintains is necessary following an order from the International Court of Justice, would require the joint U.S.-U.K. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hispanic-caucus-takes-aim-at-african-american-veterans-service-on-key-panel\/\" title=\"Hispanic Caucus Takes Aim at African...American Veteran\u2019s Service on Key Panel\">military base<\/a> on the island of Diego Garcia to be leased moving forward &mdash; an arrangement President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> has firmly opposed on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-white-house-planning-to-refer-brad-raffensperger-to-secret-service-for-investigation-under-the-espionage-act\/\" title=\"Report: White House Planning to Refer Brad Raffensperger to Secret Service for Investigation Under the Espionage Act\">national security grounds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cyprus to reassess UK bases after Middle East conflict<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3468,"featured_media":2581732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26064574901279.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[76144,76143,3817,32404,3646],"class_list":["post-2581731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-british-bases","tag-cyprus","tag-diplomacy","tag-geopolitics","tag-security"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26064574901279.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3468"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2581731"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2581735,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581731\/revisions\/2581735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2581732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2581731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2581731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2581731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}