NICOSIA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus is preparing for an unregulated Brexit following the resounding rejection by parliament of British Prime Minister Teresa May's deal with the European Union, Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides said on Thursday.
Christodoulides said that an unregulated Brexit would mean that an agreement reached between Cyprus and the United Kingdom as part of the Brexit deal would leave the status of EU citizens in the British bases on Cyprus in limbo.
"We are preparing for all eventualities, including a Brexit without an agreement," Christodoulides told state television after briefing the Council of Minister on latest developments and on all alternative scenarios.
"Any one of these scenarios is likely," he added.
He said that in the event of a no-deal Brexit, an interim solution would apply to the two sovereign bases Britain retained on Cyprus after granting independence to the eastern Mediterranean island in 1960.
Under the Brexit deal, about 11,000 Cypriots living and working within the bases would enjoy the same rights as all other EU citizens.
However, he said that in the case of an irregular Brexit a temporary solution would be applied for a period he did not specify.
Christodoulides added that the issue of an interim solution was considered and chosen by the European Union in case of a hard Brexit.
Cyprus is one of three EU members to be affected in the same way by a hard Brexit, the others being Ireland and Spain, which also have borders with British soil.
The 585-page Withdrawal Agreement, which was voted down by the British parliament, covered the future rights of EU citizens living in Britain and British nationals in the EU. Protocols on Gibraltar and Britain's sovereign base areas in Cyprus were attached to it.
"The issue of the Sovereign Base Areas was within the terms of reference of the deal with Britain...In case there is no withdrawal agreement this text will not have any effect," Christodoulides said.
He said the aim of discussions taking place remains securing the rights of all Cypriots who reside and work in the British bases, so they won't be affected.
"We consider this achievable," he added.
Asked if there should be a bilateral dialogue between Cyprus and Britain, Christodoulides said that "if there is no withdrawal agreement, the EU and Britain would adopt a temporary arrangement which would not be a final settlement... until there is an agreement".
