Britain to upgrade communications on Cyprus military base

NICOSIA, Cyprus — The U.K. will build a new communications facility on one of two bases it maintains on the Eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus , a British Defence Ministry spokesman said Friday.

The spokesman told The Associated Press that the purpose of the “small-scale infrastructure project” is to “modernize communications infrastructure and increase our resilience.”

The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, gave no further details. The facility will be built at a disused site at Dhekelia Garrison on Cyprus’ southeastern corner.

The U.K. retained the bases when Cyprus gained independence from British colonial rule in 1960.

The bases incorporate a large airfield at RAF Akrotiri and an important electronic intelligence gathering station at Ayios Nicolaos situated around 175 kilometers (109 miles) from Syria’s Mediterranean coastline.

Notably, Britain has projected its military strength in the region since it exited the European Union on Feb. 1, 2020, with large naval deployments, such as its newest aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth , from which cutting-edge F-35 jets operate.

British military aircraft have also flown from RAF Akrotiri to assist in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

塞浦路斯尼科西亚——英国国防部发言人周五表示，英国将在其位于东地中海岛国塞浦路斯的两个基地之一上建造一个新的通信设施。

发言人告诉美联社，这项“小型基础设施项目”的目的是“实现通信基础设施现代化，提高我们的韧性”。

发言人按照惯例要求匿名，未透露更多细节。该设施将建在塞浦路斯东南角德凯利亚驻军的一处废弃地块上。

1960年塞浦路斯摆脱英国殖民统治获得独立后，英国保留了这些军事基地。

这些基地包括位于阿克罗蒂里皇家空军基地的大型机场和位于阿伊奥斯·尼古拉斯的重要电子情报收集站，距离叙利亚地中海沿岸约 175 公里（109 英里）。

值得注意的是，自 2020 年 2 月 1 日脱离欧盟以来，英国一直在该地区展示其军事实力，进行了大规模的海军部署，例如其最新的航空母舰“伊丽莎白女王”号，该舰搭载了最先进的 F-35 战斗机。

英国军用飞机也曾从阿克罗蒂里皇家空军基地起飞，协助打击叙利亚和伊拉克境内的伊斯兰国组织。