Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they still have guarantor responsibilities in Cyprus under the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee; what assessment they have made of reports that a Russian-made S-200 missile was fired from Syria and exploded in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus; and what steps they intend to take in response to that incident.
The UK remains one of the three Guarantor powers as set out in the Treaty of Guarantee (1960). We are aware that debris from a projectile landed in the north of Cyprus on 1 July: we believe they resulted from an S200 missile fired from Syria which missed its intended target and which may subsequently have exploded mid-air. There were no casualties. The UK enjoys excellent relations with Cyprus, including in the fields of defence and security, based on strong bonds of friendship and historical ties. We continuously assess possible threats to the island to ensure that the necessary precautions are in place.