00:03This ex-post by left-wing French MEP Manon Aubry
00:07has resurfaced in recent days, generating buzz online
00:11after it was reposted and community noted.
00:14She posted a video of herself in Akrotiri,
00:17a British Overseas Territory in Cyprus,
00:20known alongside its sister territory Dekalia
00:23for their military bases.
00:24She says that their presence in Cyprus
00:27shows that part of the country is still occupied by the British Army.
00:31In response, social media users attached a community note to the post,
00:35explaining that Akrotiri and Dekalia are covered by the 1960 treaty
00:40establishing Cyprus's independence.
00:42They added that this is unlike the north of the country,
00:45which the vast majority of the international community
00:48considers to be under Turkish military occupation.
00:51Here at The Cube, we spoke to experts to try to break down some of the nuances,
00:55which you can read more about on our website.
00:58They said that, ultimately, it's a complex question.
01:02Legally speaking, the UK is not occupying Cyprus
01:05because the base areas are recognised under international law,
01:09including by Cyprus itself.
01:11Some pointed out that, unlike the situation in the north,
01:14the Cypriot government oversees vast aspects of civilian daily life there,
01:19that it has good relations with the UK,
01:22and that there's a lot of legislative alignment between the base areas and Cyprus.
01:27However, experts stress that the 1960 agreement establishing the territories
01:31was ultimately signed under duress,
01:34with the UK as the colonial power exerting pressure on Cyprus
01:38to agree to letting it keep the land in exchange for independence.
01:42At the end of the day, the consensus among experts
01:45appears to be that the bases are a remnant of colonialism,
01:48yet the term occupation in this case is overly simple and emotionally loaded.
01:53With the only two points of existence.
01:57But that means that NN.
01:58It would be a special thing that we needed,
01:58The UK is not cheating.
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