Britain has been playing a dubious political game against Cyprus from the day it was obliged to abandon its ex-colony in return for a limited independence. The divide and rule policy of Britain has paid great rewards for that nation. Unprepared to allow such a humiliating loss, Britain has made sure its long-term geopolitical interests in the area were well protected. In their aim to fulfil that strategy, the Turkish Cypriots offered themselves to the colonialists as the ideal scapegoats. The result of that policy is felt to this day with no signs of abating – the two (once peaceful) communities, are now separated. Unquestionably, Britain has always supported Ankara. In fact, in a joint effort with American/Turkish/Greek involvement, the colonialist foreign office has orchestrated the separation of the island and created two communities for control. Turkey was the perfect candidate to complete the job. This dastardly behaviour by a Guarantor nation (responsible to protect the territorial integrity of the young Republic of Cyprus against an invasion by a foreign country), the British role has been unquestionably manipulative and cowardly.
The Cypriot people have a long history dealing with the British nation and that history has always been a friendly one. In two World Wars the Cyprus contingent played a major role fighting the enemy of Allies and hundreds of Cypriot lives were lost in their commitment to protect democracy and freedom. Peasants (men, women and children) worked night and day building ramparts and setting up booby traps across the island in preparation for a possible land invasion by the enemy. In the end, they were abandoned by the empire and were cast aside as serfs; Britain’s empty promises for inducement to join the army did not amount to anything! Today, Cyprus is faced with the same treatment; total abandonment and betrayal! Britain could have stopped the 1974 Turkish invasion but not only did she fail to do that, but instead, she assisted the Turkish troops to complete their brutal military invasion. Today she controls two large military bases; has massive radar installations throughout the island and her soldiers have total freedom to move freely across the island as if the island still belongs to them. Those privileges were made possible and enshrined in the London/Zurich Agreement. This was in exchange for the military protection of Cyprus against a foreign invasion threatening the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus – a Republic she helped to establish. All those well-meaning promises and contractual commitments have been rubbished by the British government and continue to do so today: grand betrayal.
All considered, Britain forfeited her rights to the use of the military bases the day it chose not to fulfil its contractual obligations and remained idle in the face of the Turkish invasion; renegotiate Cyprus’ alliance with Britain; scrap all previous contractual agreements and arrangements; if no agreement is reached, initiate practical measures to remove all British military interests and installations from the island; repossess the British military bases and reassess our diplomatic and trade relationship with that nation.