The mobilisation comes amid heightened tension in the region. An alert was earlier raised at Paphos airport after a drone was detected in its airspace, while sirens sounded shortly after noon at the British military base in Akrotiri. Fighter jets also took off from the area.
Meanwhile, Greece has deployed two naval frigates and a pair of F-16 fighter jets to Cyprus following the alarm triggered by a drone crash near the Akrotiri base. The deployment was decided by Greece’s Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA).
Cyprus government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis thanked the Greek government for its response after a telephone conversation between Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Peace council statement
In its announcement, the Pancyprian Peace Council condemned what it described as new US and Israeli attacks against Iran and warned that the escalation could push the region towards a wider war with unpredictable consequences.
According to the organisation, recent incidents around the British base in Akrotiri demonstrate that military bases and militarisation do not provide security but instead intensify tensions and increase the risk of conflict.
The council argued that the presence of British military bases in Cyprus constitutes a permanent threat to peace and security on the island and in the wider region.
It also called on the government of Cyprus to condemn the US–Israel attacks on Iran, describing them as violations of international law, and urged it to demand that the United Kingdom ensure that Cyprus is not drawn into military operations through the use of the bases.
The group warned that the island could become a target of retaliation if it is perceived as participating in military actions against other states.
The Pancyprian Peace Council reiterated its long-standing demand for the closure of British bases in Cyprus, describing them as ‘an anachronistic remnant of colonialism’.
‘Foreign military bases have no place in a modern and sovereign Cyprus,’ the statement said.
The organisation called on peace groups and anti-war organisations to join the demonstration in Limassol, concluding with the slogans ‘No to war’ and ‘Close the bases of death’.
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