The bilateral relationship between the UK and Cyprus “has never been stronger,” according to UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty.
The Minister was responding to a written question from Labour MP Kevan Jones on the National Security Bill’s potential impact on diplomatic relations with the Cypriot government.
Docherty responded that the new legislation, currently going through the UK Parliament, would ensure that Britain “could continue to protect its sensitive sites,” including its military bases in Cyprus.
He also repeated the British government’s statement that the bill “does not breach the 1960 Treaty establishing the Republic of Cyprus.”
Regarding bilateral relations, Docherty added that the two countries “shared commitment to cooperate on a wide range of priority areas is underlined in the 2019 Defence and Security Cooperation Agreement and the comprehensive bilateral MoU signed last year”.
Jones also asked what had been discussed with Cypriot officials regarding the National Security Bill.
Docherty’s response was that the British government has had “extensive engagement” with the Republic of Cyprus on the National Security Bill, including at senior official and ministerial levels.
“We continue to engage with the Cypriot government at all levels, both in the UK and in Cyprus, on our wide-ranging bilateral interests,” Docherty concluded.
The proposed bill has drawn criticism from politicians, the media and activists who have voiced concerns about its sweeping nature.
Others have said that the bill could have a “chilling effect” on investigative journalism because it sets too low a bar on what constitutes spying.
The deputy chair of the Telegraph, Guy Black told the House of Lords that he was concerned the draft legislation could “potentially criminalise” reporters and whistleblowers because it says simply that a crime is committed if it “may materially assist a foreign intelligence service”.
This is punishable with up to 14 years in prison.
The problem arises, he said because of “the wide definitions” used at key points in the bill.
The Conservative peer highlighted a string of investigations that he feared could be at risk, including the Panama Papers, which revealed how the global rich could exploit offshore tax regimes.
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