A Defence and Security Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus was signed in London on 4 April 2019. The British High Commission in Nicosia informed the Turkish Cypriot community in advance of the signing. The main purpose of the Memorandum of Understanding is to place the defence relationship on a more permanent and enduring basis. It will build on the existing annual Bilateral Defence Co-operation Programme to enable closer co-operation across a range of areas of mutual benefit. Planned activities include cyber defence and security, crisis management, exercising and training, and maritime security. Other areas of co-operation will include joint planning, Search and Rescue and officer education.

Part of our support to the political process in Libya includes providing military and diplomatic advisers. We cannot go into detail about these engagements for security reasons.

The UK will continue to support the efforts of President Anastasiades and Mr Akinci to reunite Cyprus through a just and lasting settlement. The UK has made a generous offer that, as part of a comprehensive settlement, we will cede a significant proportion of the land mass of the Sovereign Base Areas. However, the Sovereign Base Areas continue to have a significant operational value for defence that is expected to endure for the long term.

The UK will continue to support the efforts of President Anastasiades and Mr Akinci to reunite Cyprus through a just and lasting settlement. The UK has made a generous offer that, as part of a comprehensive settlement, we will cede a significant proportion of the land mass of the Sovereign Base Areas. However, the Sovereign Base Areas continue to have a significant operational value for defence that is expected to endure for the long term.

115 migrants arrived by boat at RAF Akrotiri on 21 October 2015. None penetrated the robust and established security measures we have in place to protect the base. The migrants came under the control of the Sovereign Base Area Administration as soon as they set foot on shore and at no point were they near any secure facilities within the base. Operational activity was not affected.

All of the migrants were transferred from RAF Akrotiri on 27 October 2015 to a specially prepared transit facility in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia outside of the military garrison.

As at 4 December 2015, 54 migrants are accommodated in the transit facility, one is held within HMP Dhekelia and 60 have transferred to reception centres in the Republic of Cyprus.

Declaration of religion is a voluntary decision for each individual.

The number of UK regular service personnel in the Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM), the Army and the Royal Air Force who have declared themselves to be Muslim as at 1 April 2014 can be found in the table below:

Notes: 1 April 2014 is the latest published information available. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

There are 416 residential units owned by the United Kingdom authorities in the Sovereign Base of Dhekelia.

The land offer put forward to the UN in 2003/4, and subsequently readdressed in 2009 in the event of a reunified Cyprus, does not include any of the residential units owned by the United Kingdom authorities in the Sovereign Base of Dhekelia.

The length of the land perimeter of the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area, excluding the small Republic of Cyprus enclaves, with (1) is approximately 50.4 km and (2) approximately 34.6 km. The Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area is also on the perimeter of the UN controlled zone and the length of the boundaries is approximately 8.5 km in the West and 1.1 km in the East.