.

Cyprus felt rather pleased with itself in defying the legacy of colonialism by backing a UN resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

As a former colony, Brit-bashing is one of the island’s unofficial sports, a chance for politicians to sound defiant and patriotic when accusing the British of double-dealing or double-standards.

But the two EU partners – maybe not for long – have much to gain from cooperation rather than from a relationship built on friction and distrust.

Britain retains two sovereign military bases on Cyprus, the UK is our biggest tourism market, there is a large expat community residing on the island and the British consumer eats all our halloumi.

Certainly, Cyprus has been scarred by a previous master-servant association with Britain, but Nicosia and London were forging a new legacy based on mutual respect and support.

We seemed to be moving away from the antagonism of the past while building on the positive connections that Cyprus has with the UK, especially its vibrant diaspora.

Earlier this year, President Anastasiades got the royal treatment to celebrate the achievements of Cyprus as a commonwealth country and the contribution of Cypriots to life in Britain.

It was all very cordial with the Royal family expressing their gratitude to Cyprus, heralding the special ties that bind the countries.

So, it was a shock to the system when Britain sounded a note of discord as EU leaders displayed an unusual show of solidarity toward Cyprus after Turkey violated its EEZ by sending in a drillship.

Only days after EU leaders urged Turkey to back off or there would be consequences – most probably another stern telling off – a British Foreign Office minister was singing from a different hymn sheet.

Alan Duncan told British MPs earlier this month: "The position of the UK is that, in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, exploratory drilling should not proceed in any area where sovereignty is under dispute."

This lack of support for close ally Cyprus showed that Brexit has shoved London to the margins of international politics where it can listen to its own echo in the cupboard under the stairs.

Which is where the Brexit fascists have sent Theresa May.

The bully boys and girls from the right of the Tory party made the PM’s job impossible to the extent they forced her to resign in tears in the hope an EU-exterminator in the image of Nigel Farage will deliver a no deal Brexit.

London’s unhelpful position on Turkey’s incursion caused a storm of protest from Nicosia which is still smarting from the bloody nose it was given by such a policy statement.

It seems that Britain is the only country that sides with Turkey’s self-serving position that Cyprus has no sovereign right to delineate an exclusive economic zone in its waters.

Turkey disagrees because it does not recognize Cyprus as a proper country. It just got a red pen and drew a line from Ankara around the East Med and Aegean to signify its continental shelf can appear from nowhere like a shooting star.

Following the initial comment from London, there was another statement to clarify that Britain recognizes the sovereign right of Cyprus to exploit its energy wealth in its internationally recognized EEZ.

This was the same song choirs from Washington to Paris were rehearsing.

But there is a confusing addendum to the UK stance.

The Foreign Office produced another smoking gun: “With reference to Turkey’s planned drilling, the position of the UK is that, in line with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, exploratory drilling should not proceed in any area where sovereignty is under dispute.”

This would be akin to Turkish warships entering British waters claiming the North Sea to be part of the Ottoman Empire. Those waters would then become disputed with everything coming to a standstill until the lawyers got involved.

Anyway, seeing as the waters around Cyprus have gas underneath, Turkey has now claimed the area after smelling the money pot from its own shores.

Not to worry, because, under the skewed logic employed by British diplomats, Turkey has been told not to drill in disputed waters as the Law of the Sea will decide.

Unwittingly, the UK’s fuzzy stance on an act of Turkish aggression has undermined Cyprus’ energy quest which in turn has harmed the EU search for security of supply.

It doesn’t take much to stir anti-British sentiment in Cyprus, or for Cypriot politicians to start making noises about the presence of the military bases which are of strategic importance to the UK.

And as a guarantor power, Britain should have adopted a much sterner tone against Turkey’s gunboat diplomacy rather than give it a get-out-of-jail-free card.