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[Doctor Gollum]

https://cyprus-mail.com/2026/03/29/cyprus-an-unsinkable-aircraft-carrier-no-longer

This popped up and made interesting reading...

Nothing controversial about that, apart from some inaccuracies.  Yes, any Western base on "foreign soil" will mean risk for the country that base is in during conflict, but that works both ways, although in this case, the UK Cypriot bases are actually British soil*


*until such times as the wet dream of a PM we have decide to return the bases to Cyprus, and rent them back for £100b a year...

There's that of course

It popped up on my Google feed. I hadn't really considered how modern Cyprus came about, so found it an insight into the island rather than being a point of controversy

And it's nice to see different takes on things from a non UK perspective sometimes...

[TheBoy]

Given its very strategic location in the east Med, much like Malta's further West, it has been invaded more times than we could mention, or even know about. Romans, Greeks, Ottoman, Byzantine, Brits. They've all had a piece of it

In living memory, it was British (as part of the Empire), then made it's own sovereign state, bar the 2 UK bases, then a bit of a coup in the 70s caused some concerns with the Turks, who promptly tried to invade.  They only managed to invade the north, and so we have a Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - not universally recognised by all countries - and Cyprus being the rest, excluding Akrotiri and Dhekelia which are the 2 bases. And a UN line between them, as the UN think this is a good hoot, and a great place to get sent.

As part of this, there was a bit of India/Pakistan type separation, with the Greeks being moved south and the Turks being moved North, despite them previously living side by side happily until this point.  Additionally, Turkey active migrated people from Turkey to Cyprus to re-enforce their hold on the territory, which has caused ongoing friction, more so on the eastern side it seems.

[Doctor Gollum]

Ta

For reasons that make zero sense to anyone outside our operations department, we stay in Nicosia when we fly to Larnaca. The commute is a bastid, especially after a 4 am wake up, but it does afford the opportunity to cross the border just because you can

[TheBoy]

I would imagine hotels, even crew rooms, are expensive in the tourist hotspots.

Nicosia is the only (official) crossing point

[Doctor Gollum]

I would imagine hotels, even crew rooms, are expensive in the tourist hotspots.

Nicosia is the only (official) crossing point

Commercial consideration such as consistent pricing and availability would make sense, but this is BA we're talking about, so just as likely that one skipper really liked the hotel when they stayed 15 years ago and now we're stuck with it

Although it's a nice hotel, with ice cold Keo, so not really complaining 

[TheBoy]

Can't beat a pint or 2 of Keo.  It does, however, taste much better overlooking the sea.....

[Sir Tigger KC]

Just out of interest after reading these posts about Cyprus I had a gander at Google maps.

I always imagined that Akrotri and Dhekelia the two British sovereign base areas in Cyprus were just military bases, but they are both substantial chunks of territory. 

Which shows Starmers stupidity in neglecting their defence and giving the Cypriots an excuse to start chuntering about their status. Of course the EU have weighed in in Cyprus's support as well.