NICOSIA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- British citizens currently residing in Cyprus and until Brexit day on March 29 will not be required to leave and will enjoy the same rights as provided for in Britain's withdrawal agreement with the European Union (EU), Foreign Minister Nicos Christodoulides said on Wednesday.
He said that he informed Britain's Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in a letter of the Cypriot government's decision to preserve current rights of British residents in Cyprus.
The withdrawal agreement negotiated between British Prime Minister Theresa May and the EU was rejected by the British parliament last month, raising the prospect of the UK getting out of the EU on March 29 without a deal.
The letter made public by Christodoulides said that the withdrawal agreement which was turned down by the British parliament "is the best way forward and provides much needed certainty for our citizens and businesses, whilst mitigating, to the extent possible, the negative Brexit repercussions."
He added that Cyprus was preparing in close cooperation with the EU and other member states for all outcomes, including that of a no deal exit.
"Citizens' rights remain high on Cyprus' agenda and Cyprus has welcomed the UK government decision to unilaterally apply the same approach provided for in the withdrawal agreement, for all EU citizens residing in the UK, safeguarding in this way their rights of residence and access to benefits on the same terms as they presently enjoy, in the event that the UK were to leave the EU without an agreement," the minister's letter said.
It added that necessary arrangements mirroring the provisions of the withdrawal agreement will be taken, so as to protect, to the extent possible, their current rights.
Several thousand British citizens, mostly pensioners, permanently live in Cyprus, while 11,000 Cypriots live or work within two areas comprising the British Sovereign Bases in Cyprus.
Britain is also a favorite country for university studies by Cypriots, while up to 300,000 people of Cypriot extraction live in Britain and have British or dual citizenship.
