CYUK
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Cyprus - Cyprus (CY) – United Kingdom (UK)

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The original marker seemed to had been replaced by this which was thinner and without a top plate.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.

Sources
1. House of Commons, Foreign Affairs - Second Report, The role of the United Kingdom  http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmfaff/113/11307.htm

2. Annan Plan for Cyprus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annan_Plan_for_Cyprus

This page was first time published 22.01.12. This page was last time updated 30.01.12 .