Cyprus has strong case to reclaim British Bases territory, bar association says

Politics British BasesTop Newsuk Cyprus has strong case to reclaim British Bases territory, bar association says Lia 4576 Relevant News Cyprus has strong case to reclaim British Bases territory, bar association says 29 June 2026 Bureaucratic chaos in instalments 29 June 2026 The right to boredom 29 June 2026 newsroom 29 June 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber The Bar Association has adopted a formal resolution on the British Bases in Cyprus and declared that the Republic has strong legal arguments to pursue renegotiation of their status under modern international law, following a conference in Nicosia on June 25. The question of the bases’ future has come into focus since a Shahed-type drone struck RAF Akrotiri on March 2, hitting a hangar and prompting a partial evacuation of the facility. Cyprus condemned the UK for failing to publicly clarify that the bases would not be used for offensive purposes and for giving the Cypriot government no warning before the strike, despite a nearby village of approximately 1,000 people being potentially at risk. President Nikos Christodoulides subsequently called for dialogue on the bases’ future. “The British bases in Cyprus is something that is a colonial consequence,” he told the EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on March 20, according to published reports, adding that he was not prepared to negotiate publicly but that the discussion needed to be opened. The UK Ministry of Defence rejected any suggestion that the bases’ status was open to renegotiation, stating they had “never been part of the Republic of Cyprus” and that Britain had “no intention of changing this status,” according to published reports. The bar association said it sought to promote a sober, evidence-based and scientific discussion of the issue from the perspective of international law. Bar Association president Michalis Vorkas opened the event, stressing that the historical memory and sacrifices of the Cypriot people require the continuous study and pursuit of the Republic’s rights, guided by international law and justice. Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection Dr Nikolas A. Ioannidis also addressed the conference, clarifying that “the government’s aim is to conduct a structured dialogue within the framework of international law.” Legal presentations Professor Achilles Emilianides, Dean of the University of Nicosia Law School and President of the Cyprus Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts, addressed the framework for renegotiating the Treaty of Establishment. Costas Clerides, former Attorney General of the Republic and former Supreme Court judge, examined Cyprus’s potential participation in proceedings for an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice, drawing on the precedent set by the Mauritius case, in which the UK agreed to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius. Christina Hioureas, Global Co-Chair of the International Litigation and Arbitration Department and Chair of the UN Practice Group at Foley Hoag LLP, presented on “From Mauritius to Cyprus: the road to self-determination.” A panel discussion followed, moderated by Eleni Gerassoudi, Secretary of the Bar Association’s International and European Law Committee. Key conclusions Speakers noted that the British Bases issue cannot be approached through a single source of law or a single legal argument, requiring instead the combined examination of treaty law, customary international law, decolonisation principles, the right of peoples to self-determination and developments in jus cogens — peremptory norms of international law from which no derogation is permitted. On sovereignty, the Bar Association said speakers argued that “the United Kingdom exercises only administrative powers over these territories and only for military purposes,” raising serious legal questions about the compatibility of the current arrangement with modern international law, and that the designation “Sovereign Base Areas” does not equate to sovereignty under international law. Speakers also clarified that renegotiating the Treaty of Establishment would not threaten Cyprus’s statehood or international legal personality, and that the participation of Greece and Turkey is not required for any such renegotiation. More fundamentally, speakers argued that the 1960 treaty framework did not reflect the free and genuine will of the Cypriot people, that the separation of the Bases’ territories from the Republic was incompatible with decolonisation principles, and that Cyprus’s decolonisation process remains incomplete. Arguments were also presented that the right of peoples to self-determination has since evolved into a jus cogens norm, carrying significant implications for the validity and continued force of the 1960 framework. The Bar Association concluded that “the Republic of Cyprus possesses strong legal arguments that can form the basis for revisiting the British Bases issue within the framework of modern international law,” enabling it to engage with confidence in any future dialogue or negotiation as a sovereign and equal state. Read more: The British bases must go — they are a threat to our security Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Bureaucratic chaos in instalments The right to boredom Man facing Hamas terrorism and murder conspiracy charges remanded in Cyprus after bail overturned Troodos: Cyprus’s diamond in the rough Tony Blair-Christodoulides meeting on Cyprus Board of Peace summit scrapped over flight delay When a €10,000 sculpture was sold for scrap metal Row erupts over Nicosia exhibition featuring artist behind occupied north flag Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.