EU-UK Draft Brexit Deal Ensures Preserving UK Military Bases In Cyprus - Barnier

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th November, 2018) The UK-EU provisional Brexit agreement ensures the preservation of UK sovereign bases on the Cypriot territory, EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said.

The deal includes three protocols, concerning Gibraltar, Cyprus and the Irish border, according to the official.

"The second protocol relates to Cyprus and the sovereign bases in Cyprus. This enables the continuity of existing agreements in and around these bases between Cyprus and the United Kingdom. In particular, it will enable 11,000 Cypriot citizens established on territories under British sovereignty to continue to live as they do today," Barnier told reporters on Wednesday.

The protocol on Gibraltar created the basis for the administrative cooperation on a series of subjects - the rights of citizens, taxation, tobacco, environment, fisheries, police and customs cooperation, Barnier added.

This protocol is part of a broader package of bilateral agreements between Spain and the United Kingdom on Gibraltar, according to the negotiator.

Since Cyprus became an independent nation in 1960, there have been two UK Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) on the country's territory, namely at Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The bases constitute UK sovereign territory under London's jurisdiction.

Gibraltar, the only British Overseas Territory which is the part of the European Union, has overwhelmingly voted to remain in the bloc at the 2016 Brexit referendum.