The Cyprus Bar Association has formally declared that the Republic of Cyprus holds strong legal grounds to renegotiate the status of the British Sovereign Base Areas under modern international law. This development follows a recent conference in Nicosia, where experts stressed that the existing treaty framework from 1960 no longer reflects the free will of the Cypriot people nor aligns with contemporary decolonisation principles.

The issue gained renewed urgency after a drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in March raised security concerns, prompting calls from President Nikos Christodoulides for dialogue on the bases' future. The UK Ministry of Defence, however, has maintained that the bases were never part of the Republic and rejects renegotiation.

Legal experts at the conference highlighted that sovereignty claims are limited to administrative military control by the UK, noting significant questions about compatibility with international law. They emphasized that revisiting the Treaty of Establishment does not threaten Cyprus’s statehood and argued that evolving principles of self-determination now constitute a jus cogens norm, reinforcing the Republic’s position for future negotiations.