Cyprus
and the United Kingdom have shared common boundaries since the
independence of Cyprus in 1960. The boundaries are at the two
Sovereign Base Areas; the western at Akrotiri and the eastern at Dhekelia
where also four Cypriot exclaves are
surrounded by SBA territory.
All
British SBA boundaries are demarcated with border markers; usually white
poles of various lenghts, but also other types are found. Their top
plates are either military and English-languaged or Greek Cypriot. Some
markers are numbered, although the inscriptions at our visit in December
2011 often were difficult to read due as the old paint was about to
flake off the markers.
According
to the 2003 Annan Plan for Cyprus large parts of both the Western and Eastern
SBAs would be ceded to the Greek-Cypriot Constituent State (GCCS)
and the Turkish-Cypriot Constituent State. On this image we see the
parts of UK Akrotiri which was planned to be ceeded over to Cyprus;
parts which de facto are used by Cypriots today. After demarcation it
would appear a new exclave-enclave. 1, 2)
We
visited the CYUK Akrotiri boundary at Asomatos.
Here
the UK road enters CY territory at marker A-1 (Geosite marker name).
In this report we start at A-3 and follow the boundary via A-2 to A-1.
(In January 2012 the Google Earth boundary was not correctly lined up at
this border.)
Marker
A-3 watched from east towards west.
Marker
A-3. The road is in Cyprus.
From
A-3 towards southwest.
Border
marker A-3 is only about 30 cm tall.
The
marker number was 233.
The
top plate is Greek Cypriot.
Watched
from A-3 towards north. The boundary seemed to run along the allée.
A-3
invisible in the middle of the picture (hidden by trees) watched from
west towards east. The fence in the left part of the picture is the
boundary.
The
same area watched from longer distance.
Marker
A-2 is located in the middle of this area, behind the trees.
Marker
A-2 was placed in a corner between to fences.
The
original marker seemed to had been replaced by this which was thinner
and without a top plate.
The
marker was unnumbered. Here from northwest towards the road and
southeast.
From
A-2 and in southern direction towards A-1. The boundary runs along the
tree line.
Same
as last photo, but closer to A-1.
A-1
is located on the southern side of the road, a few meters west of the
curve warning signs.
Marker
A-1 is now clearly visible. Note the change of road surface.
Photograped
towards west.
Also
here the marker is only about 30 cm tall.
From
southwest towards northeast.
The
A-3 marker number seems to be 2 35. There was no top plate. Marker A-2
is therefore probably bm 234.