Elizabeth Georgiou
The drone strike on the runway of the British bases at Akrotiri in the early hours of Monday morning has reignited a conversation that has lingered, unresolved, for decades: the legal status of the British Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus and the degree to which the Republic of Cyprus has any real say, or control, over what happens within them.
Legal expert Simos Angelidis, speaking on the new podcast of the newspaper K, made clear that this incident is far more than a security blip. It touches on a deeper geopolitical reality that has shaped Cyprus's existence as a state since the very beginning.
"Every incident like this brings back the same fundamental questions," he said. "What is the legal status of the bases? And to what extent does the Republic of Cyprus have the power to intervene or exercise oversight?"
The 1960 Agreements and the Bases' Legal Foundation
The existence of the British bases is inseparable from the agreements signed in 1960, at the moment Cyprus came into being as a republic. As Angelidis explained, "The 1960 Constitution, imposed rather than homegrown, came bundled with a series of treaties: the Treaty of Establishment, the Treaty of Alliance, and of course the Treaty of Guarantee."
Under the Treaty of Establishment, specific areas of the island were never transferred to the Republic of Cyprus in the first place. "Akrotiri, Episkopi, Dhekelia, and certain other designated areas listed in the Constitution and its annexes—these territories were never handed over to the Republic of Cyprus," he said. That legal fact, he argued, remains the bedrock of the bases' status to this day.
"The British bases define themselves as sovereign. The Republic of Cyprus largely accepts this in silence, but legally, that acceptance can only go so far."
Three Moments Cyprus Could Have Pushed Back
Angelidis identified three pivotal historical moments when the status of the bases might have been meaningfully challenged.
The first came when the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community. "At that point, the arrangement with the EEC was defined and recorded — without Cyprus's participation, and with the tacit acceptance of the other member states," he noted.
The second opportunity arose when Cyprus itself joined the European Union. Alongside the Accession Treaty, two significant protocols were adopted, one of which dealt specifically with the bases, enshrining what Angelidis described as "a sui generis arrangement," a legal category unto itself.
The third, and perhaps most consequential missed opportunity, was Brexit. "The question then was: how do you handle the UK's withdrawal from the EU when there is territory inside the Republic of Cyprus that was never part of the EU to begin with?" During that period, he suggested, "Cyprus perhaps lost a golden opportunity to renegotiate."
Life Inside the Bases
One dimension that rarely makes headlines is the fact that Cypriot civilians actually live within the base territories and have for generations. "There are a great many people, Cypriot citizens, who live inside the base areas and are affected in very tangible ways in their daily lives," Angelidis said.
He recalled a detail that once stopped him cold. "The first time I learned that when the base authorities send a letter to a Cypriot citizen living there, it comes with a British stamp, that was a shock to me." And on Google Maps, he noted, the surreal geography is laid bare for anyone to see: one moment you're in the Republic of Cyprus; click slightly to the left, and you're in the United Kingdom.
What the Bases Owe Cyprus, and What They Don't
Under the existing treaty framework, the bases are obligated to operate exclusively for military purposes. Anything they do must remain within that scope. The Republic of Cyprus, for its part, is bound to facilitate their operation, not the other way around.
"Cyprus is obliged to assist the United Kingdom in whatever the treaties provide for. The obligation doesn't run in the reverse direction," Angelidis explained.
In practical terms, this means that when something like the Akrotiri drone strike occurs, Cypriot authorities have severely limited room to act. "They may not even be required to inform us," he said bluntly.
Being Dragged Into Someone Else's War
Perhaps the most unsettling dimension of all this is the specter of Cyprus becoming a target in conflicts it has no hand in shaping. "Without any control over what happens inside the bases or what operational decisions are made there, we can find ourselves drawn in, made into a target, with no benefit to ourselves whatsoever," Angelidis warned.
The distinction between the British bases and the Republic of Cyprus, he noted, is not always legible at the international level. From the outside, it can all look like Cyprus.
Can the Conversation Be Reopened?
Despite all of this, Angelidis was measured about the prospects for any imminent renegotiation. The long-standing strategic calculation of the Republic of Cyprus has been to avoid opening a second front while the Cyprus Problem itself remains unsolved. You don't fight on two fronts simultaneously.
Yet he pointed to international precedent that suggests even small states can successfully challenge colonial-era arrangements. His example: the Chagos Archipelago case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
"A tiny group of islands in the middle of nowhere dared to make a claim and succeeded," he said. "The legal basis exists in international law. It could be used."
The question, as ever with Cyprus, is whether the will is there to use it.
