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Foreign Affairs Minister says Cyprus Government officials told him that they are unhappy with the British base in Cyprus

Earlier today at a political rally of the Labour Party,  the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg said that Cyprus government officials have told him that they are unhappy with the presence of a British base after it was targeted by Iran. The Foreign Affairs Minister was speaking at a political rally in anticipation of the anniversary of Freedom Day.

Cyprus signed an agreement with British over the base in Akrotiri in 1960 mainly as a defensive measure against Turkey which occupies the eastern part of the country. French President Emmanuel Macron also visited Cyprus and guaranteed its defence. Given that Cyprus is part of the European Union, it benefits from European security guarantees and Britain is no longer its exclusive protector.

The Foreign Affairs Minister also said that despite applying military neutrality to enable connections and friendships with everyone, this principle is guided by what is right and Malta does not shy away from making its position heard. Malta also supports Ukraine with humanitarian aid but not military aid he added. He spoke about the neutrality issue in a more moderate tone unlike his colleague Alex Agius Saliba who lashed out at defence spending and its proponents.

The Prime Minister also gave a speech.

You can watch the political rally here.