House President Annita Demetriou on Thursday said that the purpose of a solution to the Cyprus problem is to re-examine the role of the island’s three guarantor powers, amid emboldened rhetoric on the government’s part regarding the future of the British bases.

She was speaking after a meeting with the United Kingdom’s minister of state for Europe Stephen Doughty, and said that the matter of the bases’ future was “briefly touched upon”.

“What we have said every time is that of course, the issue of security and guarantees should be re-examined. This is the purpose, or the pursuit of the solution to the Cyprus problem,” she said.

The United Kingdom is one of Cyprus’ three guarantor powers, and the only one of the three to retain sovereign base areas on the island.

One of the island’s two British bases, the Akrotiri air force base near Limassol, was hit by an Iranian-made drone on March 2, prompting all three guarantor powers – the UK, Greece, and Turkey – and other countries to deploy large quantities of military assets to the island and its vicinity.

The remainder of the pair’s meeting focused largely on the matter of tourism, with Demetriou saying that the “most important message” conveyed by Doughty’s visit to the island is “to show that Cyprus is here, not in a war zone, and that we are moving forward normally”.

Doughty, meanwhile, pointed out that the aircraft aboard which he flew to Paphos was “filled with many tourists who were coming to enjoy Cyprus, as always”.

This, he said, was “very positive”.

Demetriou then spoke about the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, saying that she and Doughty had discussed “the understanding which must exist between the two countries so that we can precisely intercept and confront this threat, but also to provide the required security in our Cyprus”.

She then added that Doughty’s “very presence” is “very important”, as it “shows in the most practical way that Cyprus is safe and that there is no reason for concern”.

Asked whether the Cyprus problem was also discussed, given that Doughty is typically the point of contact in the British government regarding the Cyprus problem, she said that “the Cyprus issue is our primary concern”.

She said that the UK wishes to “maintain a constructive role”, and that “it goes without saying that the priority is the restart of negotiations within the agreed framework”, geared towards a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality.

“For us, the message is singular and unchangeable; whatever we need to do to move one step further, we will do it. This is the position of the Republic of Cyprus, this is the position of Cyprus, and this must continue,” she said.

She added that she believes that “in this context, more should be done, and whatever more can be done to cultivate trust and cooperation between the two sides can only be positive”.

“Hence, I believe that now, with the crisis that we have with foot and mouth disease, it is a good opportunity for understanding beyond the treatment and substance on the issue, between the two sides. That is why we called President [Nikos] Christodoulides to take specific action with [Turkish Cypriot leader] Tufan Erhurman,” she said,