The status of the United Kingdom’s two sovereign bases in Cyprus is “not up for negotiation”, British undersecretary of state for the armed forces Al Carns said on Sunday.

“We have to be really clear on this, the legal status of the sovereign base areas is rock solid,” he told British newspaper the Daily Telegraph.

Instead, he said, the UK is working with the Cypriot authorities to ensure that the island is defended from external threats.

“What we’re seeing because of the threat that has been posed, for the first time in a long time, is the Cypriots, the Brits, and other allies coming together to work on an integrated plan to defend the capabilities here,” he said.

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He added to this end that “I think we’ll see a lot of positives”, before returning to the matter of the bases’ status and reiterating that while “we can understand some of the frictions”, there will be no change to the bases’ status.

“The reality is the legal basis of these sovereign territories is non-negotiable,” he said.

Carns’ comments come in direct contravention of those made by President Nikos Christodoulides, who had last month promised that “we are going to have an open and frank discussion with the British government” over the future of the bases.

Shortly afterwards, the European Council had declared that it stands ready to assist” the Cypriot government in discussions regarding the bases’ future and stating that it “acknowledges the intention of Cyprus to initiate a discussion with the UK” on the matter.

Later, deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou said that the government has sought and received legal advice regarding the treaty which established the bases, adding that “the issue of security is complex and will be the subject of discussion with the British side”.

The Treaty of Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus entered force in 1960, having been signed by the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities of the day Archbishop Makarios III and Dr Fazil Kucuk, who would go on to become the republic’s first president and vice president.

Its first article states that “the territory of the Republic of Cyprus shall comprise the island of Cyprus, together with the islands lying off its coast, with the exception of the two areas … which shall remain under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom” – the base areas in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

In a later article, the same treaty states that “the United Kingdom authorities shall have the right for United Kingdom military aircraft to fly in the airspace over the territory of the Republic of Cyprus without restriction other than to have due regard for the safety of other aircraft and the safety of life and property in the Republic of Cyprus”.

More recently, Kourion mayor Pantelis Georgiou had said he believes that communications antennae installed at the base may be linked to an elevated risk of cancer and said that like the central government, he, too, is seeking legal advice regarding the British government’s plans.

However, others have warned that the political situation on the island is not conducive to a renegotiation of the bases’ status, with former Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat having told the Cyprus Mail that it is “impossible” to abolish the bases without first solving the Cyprus problem.

“The Greek Cypriot leadership wants to say, ‘I am the state and I am the sole decision-maker on such matters’. It is impossible for the Turkish Cypriot side to accept this. Therefore, it would be best to address the issue by prioritising a solution to the Cyprus problem,” he said.

Nonetheless, he said that once that Cyprus problem is resolved, “the British sovereign bases must certainly be removed”.