Do Cyprus’ British bases have a future?

‘Should Cyprus remain a strategic asset for others – or a secure home for its own people?’

Although the targeting of RAF Akrotiri by a Lebanon-fired drone has rekindled the chatter about the British bases’ presence painting a target on Cyprus, analysts don’t anticipate a change in the status of the Sovereign Base Areas – and in fact think it highly unlikely for the foreseeable future.

The Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) are two parts on Cyprus – Akrotiri on the southernmost peninsula, and Dhekelia in the east – with a combined territory of 99 square miles, over which the United Kingdom exercises sovereignty. They were created by the Treaty of Establishment 1960, the international agreement granting the Republic of Cyprus its independence.

The Cyprus government has this week grumbled about the lack of security coordination and communication in relation to last Sunday’s drone strike – rumoured to have targeted an American hangar on the grounds of Akrotiri. Residents in the SBA complained of not being alerted.

To mollify the complaints coming from Nicosia, but also from critics in the UK, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said they were “taking every measure” to protect Cyprus.

“I want to be really clear to everybody in Cyprus that we’re taking every measure that is needed to protect them, to protect the airbase, along with the other places in the regi