‘British bases in Cyprus cannot be seen as separate from the whole of the island’

With Greek and French forces already on and around the island amid the expanding Middle East hostilities, the least Cyprus would expect from the British was to already be present, Cyprus’ high commissioner to the UK Dr Kyriacos Kouros said on Wednesday, adding that the HMS Dragon would not be arriving for another week.

Kouros said it was obvious that the drone attack on Saturday night was a success, as it hit its target – the Akrotiri British air force base – a conflict the Republic of Cyprus did not want to be dragged into.