Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos has talked to the UK's Sky News about Cyprus' concerns and dissatisfaction with the British government following the drone strike on the RAF base at Akrotiri earlier this week.
The presenter noted that the UK is sending additional military support to Cyprus after a drone strike hit RAF Akrotiri earlier this week and that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon and helicopters with counter-drone capabilities will be deployed to the region as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East.
Asked if Cyprus was confident that the UK can support and protect the island, Kombos responded, "Look, it's a very difficult regional situation. Our geography puts us in that situation. We have seen, as you mentioned, the attack against the British base. Since then, we had a number of alarms that we have managed to deal with without identifying something more specific. But at the end of the day, it's about creating a protective shield, a protective umbrella for the people in Cyprus."
The Minister went on to say, "We had the opportunity to talk to many colleagues and friends in friendly countries. And right now, there is support that is on the island from Greece, from France, from Spain and maybe from others as well. I welcome the addition of forces as regards the United Kingdom. And we have already made our planning and we are trying to integrate and make sure that the forces that are here to protect and prevent are coordinating in the right way."
Asked about his reaction to the fact that this drone did manage to strike the RAF base and if he felt the UK should have done more to protect it earlier, Kombos said, "I welcome the deployment of assets from friendly countries, from the European Union primarily. The UK has deployed its own forces. We're waiting for them to be incorporated into the system. There is a protective structure within the British Bases. As you said, on the first night, we had the incident without any real damage and without casualties. But at the end of the day, we have tried to expand our capacity and make sure that we protect the people on the island, both Cypriot citizens and visitors. And that's why the support from countries that have responded to our call is extremely important to us."
"Adding to that, in terms of the British forces is, of course, something that's useful," the Minister went on to say, adding, "But we are not going to be in any way trying to isolate the sources from which we draw its support. We are a member state of the European Union. Our partners have shown solidarity and we are moving in that direction, trying to make sure that the people remain safe."
Asked if he was concerned that not enough was being done and that Cyprus was a sort of a victim of its geography sometimes, the Foreign Minister said he was trying to be as clear as possible in the messages he was sending out, "Cyprus is not targeted in any way because of geography. It's a British Base that has been targeted. Secondly, our profile as a country is very clear to everyone. We've never been involved in any military offensive operations against anyone. On the contrary, our role is to facilitate at the humanitarian level. We have evacuated citizens from countries from all over the world. We have supported and facilitated helping the people move from dangerous zones."
"Now, as regards the UK,: he continued, "the UK has responsibilities in relation to its bases. We expressed, for sure, our views, our concerns, our questions, our dissatisfaction, however you want to call it. We have a very active dialogue with the UK in the last few days at all levels, from the Prime Minister, at my level and at the technical level as well. All this has been expressed. Right now, what matters is that we get through this crisis, a crisis that we must get through together. We have the support of our European partners. We are working with the United Kingdom. And after this crisis ends, hopefully we'll be able to reflect on these days in a very calm way and see what happened, what could have happened, and what could possibly be happening."
Kombos also noted that Cyprus' Defence Minister had met with the UK's Defence Secretary, John Healey, who visited Cyprus, noting, "They had conversations, I understand, relating to the ongoing situation and what can be done to improve coordination and asset sharing in terms of the defensive posture. So, this is what I'm privy to in relation to that conversation."
"But what I know for sure," Kombos continued, "is that in the conversations I had... these issues had been discussed as to what happened, what could be done moving forward. And of course, the whole point is to make sure that the message that is being sent from the United Kingdom government towards us, those statements, those promises are aligned with the necessary action that is also effective on the ground. So, we're looking forward to making sure that at this time of difficulty, we move forward together."
He also askedto be allowed to make an additional point, "There was the incident. Since then, as I said, there is a gathering of forces in terms to support us defensively. But at the same time, life is going on normally. Schools, universities, the private sector, the public sector, everything is operating normally. We have hundreds of flights coming into Cyprus. The activity, the life of the people is moving as normally. Yes, they are worried, and we should all be worried because of what's happening. But we should also send this very important message. And if I may, the state sector, the government is working very, very closely and very carefully in order to ensure the repatriation of its citizens. We have managed so far in 24 hours to get out of the UAE two thirds of our citizens, something around 500 individuals and European citizens."
Among other thinsg, he also underlined, "The Republic of Cyprus was not targeted. It was a British Base. The Republic of Cyprus has not been involved in any kind of military activity against anyone. On the contrary, we have been facilitating and trying to facilitate as our public has been humanitarian operations. At the end of the day, everyone is affected by the situation, either directly or indirectly, at the global level, at the economic level, in terms of energy security, in terms of maritime navigation safety, and so on and so forth. So, right now, the diplomatic channels for a possible conversation, dialogue, leading to an end of the conflict, we are not seeing that happening. We are calling for it."
The video can be viewed here.
