Cyprus Hopes To Agree Deal On UK Bases Shortly After Brexit - Foreign Ministry

Cyprus hopes to reach an agreement regarding the future of the United Kingdom's military bases on the island as soon as Brexit happens but expects the status quo to continue until the deal is reached, Permanent Secretary of the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tasos Tzionis told Sputnik in an interview

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2019) Cyprus hopes to reach an agreement regarding the future of the United Kingdom's military bases on the island as soon as Brexit happens but expects the status quo to continue until the deal is reached, Permanent Secretary of the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tasos Tzionis told Sputnik in an interview.

"I hope that this agreement will be reality in a few months' time after October, 31 but until that the understanding is that the previous regime will continue without any opposition from either Britain, or Cyprus, or of the European Commission," the diplomat said.

Tzionis remarked that there was no "legal clarity" on future relations between the UK and Cyprus, but said "we are institutionally ready to address the situation when it comes to the most serious issue we face there, I am talking about the bases.

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"We are always interested to keep close relations with British. We don't want a conflict. But if they [the UK] decide not to have a deal there will be a big problem that we are going to have," he said.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted he will take his country out of the European Union on October 31. However, a law recently passed in the UK parliament requires him to ask the EU for a delay if there is no deal by October 19 and provided that lawmakers reject a no-deal Brexit.

The UK has kept two bases on Cyprus since 1960, when the island gained independence from the United Kingdom.