Hundreds of activists gathered today in central Nicosia to peacefully protest the presence of British bases in Akrotiri and Dhekelia amid the ongoing war with Iran, the “Cyprus Mail“ reported, quoted by BTA.
Since Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, Britain has maintained two air bases on the island - Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which are British sovereign territories. On Monday (March 2), the Akrotiri base was attacked by Iranian drones launched from Lebanon. There were no casualties in the attack. According to sources at the Cyprus News Agency, the drones were launched by forces of the Iranian-linked Lebanese group “Hezbollah“.
The left-wing political and activist movement AFOA, which is among the organizers of today's protest, pointed out that “the use of British bases by Western troops has turned the bases themselves, the surrounding areas and the critical infrastructure of Cyprus into a military target“.
Cyprus is not participating in any way, nor does it intend to join the military operation, President Nikos Christodoulides said in a video message earlier this week.
The protest march reached the presidential palace, and the participants carried banners with the inscriptions “Cyprus is not your launch pad“ and “British bases out“. As part of the event, a performance was organized in front of the presidential palace, in which people lay down on the ground and pretended to be dead.
“With the spread of the regional war in many countries, the role of Cyprus in imperialist plans is deepening, putting the residents and people of Cyprus as a whole on a dangerous and destructive path“, protest organizers said.
The AFOA group demanded that the government “withdraw its support for the imperialists“, emphasizing that Cyprus should not be involved in the war, and called for the complete removal of British bases.
Greece expects an increase in tourists as a result of the events in the Middle East, BNR reported.
Four Greek beaches are once again among the top 20 in the world according to the Traveller’s Choice Award
Redirecting tourist flows to countries that guarantee a safe vacation. This is what Greek tour operators expect. Large travel agencies are already exploring the Greek market this summer in order to provide a peaceful and quality vacation to their clients. The high demand could lead to price increases and overtourism.
Israel, Dubai and part of Egypt will suffer as tourist destinations if the conflict in the Middle East deepens, specialized publications emphasize in their comments.
There will undoubtedly be a redirection of tourists to Greece, other Balkan countries and Italy, as a reflection of the military conflict. These are countries that are currently out of hostilities and, according to tourists, are peaceful places to vacation.
A serious redistribution is expected in the tourist market for the summer season, regardless of the duration of the tension in the Persian Gulf, according to Greek experts.
According to the world tourist ranking for beach ratings for this year, Greece entered the top 20 in the world with four of its beaches, three of which are located on the island of Crete, which is a great advertisement and recognition for the country, the Ministry of Tourism commented.