Following the unprecedented referendum of the 23^rd
of June 2016, in which UK voted to leave EU, and within the newly established
environment, all countries will now try to define the way forward as far as the
status of their relationship with the UK is concerned.

Cyprus can view its relationship with the UK through
another capacity, as a member of the Commonwealth.
The joint membership of the Commonwealth demonstrates the historical bonds and
shared values of the two countries.

What
is the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth association has its roots many
decades ago and is considered as one of the world’s oldest political
associations of states.

It came into being in 1949 and it’s an
association of 53 Nations, all of which were formerly part of the British
Empire.

Among the Commonwealth Countries are Cyprus,
Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Cyprus
and Commonwealth:

The Republic of Cyprus became a member of
the Commonwealth in 1961, soon after attaining its independence. It has since
been actively participating in all Commonwealth activities.

Cyprus is one of only three Commonwealth member countries located in
Europe.

The
current context for Commonwealth Citizens:

–         
In the
United Kingdom, Commonwealth citizens are in law considered not to be
“foreign” or “aliens”;

–         
Commonwealth
consular services: Consular services exist for countries in good standing.
Commonwealth citizens who are in a country that is not presented at a consulate
by their government, can get representation and a temporary ‘’commonwealth
citizen’’ passport issued at a British Embassy;

–         
Visa free
entry: A commonwealth citizen may be entitled to visa-free entry into a fellow
commonwealth nation, if the country he is travelling from is deemed to be in
good standing.

This of course depends on bilateral agreements
between Commonwealth Member states, especially under the shadow of Brexit;

–         
Commonwealth
Scholarships: A citizen of a developed Commonwealth country can apply for
Scholarships for PhD or split-site PhD study at a UK university.

It is noted that Cyprus is considered to be a
developed Commonwealth country.

Brexit
and Commonwealth:

Following the result of the referendum, one of
the questions that currently arise is whether Brexit will allow Britain to
embrace the Commonwealth?

Many argue that now Britain will be in a
position to negotiate its own bilateral free trade deal with Commonwealth
countries. Therefore, this might be an opportunity to create a Commonwealth
free trade area.

In general, the new development might be seen
as an opportunity for Britain to attribute more importance in the economic and
business relationships between the members of the Commonwealth and therefore to
create stronger bonds, which will eventually have direct effect on all
Commonwealth citizens.

The aforementioned are considered to be a new
pathway which needs time in order to be sufficiently defined. What is evident
at this point is that Commonwealth countries could have an advantageous
starting point.

In the case of Cyprus, in addition to the Commonwealth
background, the procedure to safeguard the bilateral relations with the UK and
to identify new mechanisms of cooperation can be further enhanced by the fact
that both countries share the same common law legal framework and there is to
some extent compatibility in institutions. Furthermore, the UK Cypriot
community could be seen as a living human bridge between Cyprus and UK and it could
be taken into consideration in the process of formulating the new bilateral
framework between the two countries.

What is worth noting at this point is that the
Cypriot Passport could be considered as a positive tool in this ever changing
environment, as it combines the capacity of a citizen member of the EU and
simultaneously a Commonwealth citizen.

As a concluding comment, it
is important to stress that nothing will change overnight, with Article 50 of
the Lisbon Treaty yet to be triggered and subsequent full transition out of the
EU taking minimum two years.

The content of this article is intended to
provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be
sought on your specific circumstances. For further information, please contact Kyriakos
Constantinou, Associate of Michael Kyprianou & Co LLC at [email protected]