State ‘in constant contact’ with British over bases’ use

The government is “in constant contact” with the United Kingdom regarding the use of the British bases on the island, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Tuesday.

Asked at a press briefing if he knew of the British government’s plans to use the Akrotiri base to bomb Yemen, he said the government is “in constant communication with the UK within the framework established in relation to the bases’ use.”

He also moved to play down Cyprus’ involvement in the bombing, saying “what we must emphasise once again is that the Republic of Cyprus has no connection or involvement with the military operations.”

The UK, alongside the United States, aimed at positions held by the Houthi movement, a Shia Islamist organisation allegedly backed by Iran which controls much of the west of Yemen and has been attacking ships passing through the Red Sea in response to the west’s support for Israel.

In the early hours last Friday morning, the UK’s Defence Minister Grant Shapps announced that “Royal Air Force Typhoon [aircraft] conducted precision strikes on two Houthi military targets alongside United States forces.” Alongside the statement, he included a video of a Eurofighter Typhoon taking off from the RAF’s Akrotiri base in Cyprus.

With this in mind, Letymbiotis said on Tuesday that “the communication that Foreign Minister [Constantinos Kombos] had with his British counterpart is also relevant.”

Others in Cyprus had been less than impressed by the British’s use of Akrotiri to bomb Yemen and to aid Israel’s assault on Gaza, with hundreds marching to the Akrotiri base on Sunday against what they described as the turning of Cyprus into an “aggressive launch pad.”

Meanwhile, Letymbiotis also spoke on the matter of the humanitarian corridor between Cyprus and Gaza.

He said the matter “is still [being raised] in the diplomatic contacts we have with states which have expressed a desire to help.”

Defending the plan’s seemingly stuttering rollout, he said “you do realise that further development and completion of the initiative also depends on external factors.”

In December, a British naval vessel identified as the RFA Lyme Bay had set sail from Larnaca, hailed as the first shipment of the humanitarian corridor, before going missing and eventually being spotted in Malta.

“Security concerns” were cited as the reason for the ship’s diversion, before it eventually docked in Egypt in January and the aid on board was delivered to Gaza by land.