Nearly three-quarters of Greek Cypriots think the British bases in Cyprus should be removed, a new survey has found.
A survey from the North-West Londoner was conducted with respondents of Greek Cypriot heritage who answered a variety of questions on British bases, including their wider colonial implications, and their future role on the island.
Almost half the respondents perceive the British bases as having no clear benefits and 70 percent believe the bases should be removed.
This comes after the British base in Cyprus (RAF Akrotiri) saw an attempted drone strike by Iran’s Islamic regime at the beginning of March, which was shot down before much damage was caused.
Iran’s drone came days after America and Israel launched attacks on the Middle East nation.
On Britain and Cyprus’ relationship, the High Commissioner of Cyprus, Kyriacos Kouros, told the North-West Londoner: “Both nations will continue to work together.”
The North-West Londoner asked those who who filled in the surveys about the legitimacy of the British bases, including George, an architect, 62, from Limassol.
He said: “In principle, if the bases would provide security and stability for Cyprus, yes, however, the bases are only here to serve the interests of the UK and its allies and masters, as such they represent a clear and present danger, they are a target.”
George feared that it may only be a matter of time before Cyprus will be dragged into a wider war.
He added: “The land should be returned to the Republic of Cyprus on the condition that the bases can be used by the UK, for specific defensive purposes, and not to assist in genocide.”
Less than a quarter of Greek Cypriots respondents believe having the British bases is a benefit in terms of security, with over 10% percent also perceiving the bases as strengthening relations with the UK, and 20% believing the bases benefit Cyprus for security and defence purposes.
Richard Hill, 62, a Greek Cypriot and Palestinian lawyer from London, said that the British bases should remain in Cyprus without question have additional strengthening with extra troops and weaponry.
He added: “It would enhance our relationship with the UK and the USA because both can have direct use of it in any future conflicts within the area, and this would provide added security to both Greece and Israel because of the obvious indirect benefit.”
A quarter of Greek Cypriot respondents perceive the bases as having security risks, despite what the Prime Minister said in March following the deployment of HMS Dragon.
Sir Keir Starmer said: “The UK is fully committed to the security of Cyprus and British military personnel based there.”
The British bases have proven to be a divisive and emotional topic for some Greek Cypriots, with 21.3% perceiving them as neo-colonisation, as shown in the graphic, and 23% believing they cause issues over sovereignty and independence.
One participant reflecting on the bases wrote that they believed it was inevitable that the UK would allow the US to use the bases in the region, including Akrotiri, for their war objectives, regardless of whether their use of the bases were restricted to defensive purposes only.
They said: “The bases continue to serve Western colonial interests, as well as having close relations with Israel, a regime which continues to wage war in the wider region.
”The British should give the land back to Cypriots. The bases and UK influence generally continue to enforce the divide and prevent bi-communal unification.”
Another participant of the questionnaire said: “They are using the island as a launchpad into the Middle East, the British bases have basically stolen land from many Cypriots.
“They take advantage of our geographical location and use our island as a launchpad, thus placing our lives in danger. They use Cyprus as a launching pad, so they are basically putting our lives at risk. Because the British allowed the US to use their base in Cyprus.”
Earlier this year, Cyprian President Nikos Christodoulides said regarding the bases: “When this unfortunate situation in Cyprus is over, we need to have an open and frank discussion with the British government with regard to the status and the future of the British bases in Cyprus.”
He added that the British bases in Cyprus are a colonial consequence on the island, with more than 10,000 Cypriot citizens within the British bases.
An Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “The status of the Sovereign Base Areas is not in question.
“Our bases in Cyprus play a crucial role in supporting the safety of British citizens and our allies in the Mediterranean and in the Middle East.
“We have been deploying additional defensive capabilities to Cyprus since January this year, including radar systems, counter-drone systems, additional fast jets and hundreds of extra air defence personnel to protect our people and our interests.”
Featured Image Credit: Alexandros Ioannides
Join the discussion