A planned EU ministers’ meeting in Cyprus was postponed after a drone struck a British military base on the island, with the exact origin of the attack under verification.
BRUSSELS: The Cypriot government has postponed a meeting of European Union ministers planned for Monday following a drone strike on a British military base on the Mediterranean island.
European affairs ministers were expected to gather in Nicosia for informal talks as Cyprus currently holds the rotating EU presidency of the bloc.
A spokeswoman for the Cypriot EU presidency confirmed an early morning incident involving a single unmanned aerial vehicle that targeted the British base in Akrotiri.
She stated that the attack caused some limited damage, with the exact origin of the UAV currently under verification by authorities.
The spokeswoman emphasised that it has been confirmed the Republic of Cyprus itself was not the target of the isolated attack.
Given this unanticipated development which impacted flights to Cyprus, the meeting was postponed to a later date.
The country holding the EU’s rotating presidency chairs ministerial meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg and often organises gatherings on its own soil.
EU leaders are still expected to meet in Cyprus for two days of talks in late April.
