Ayios Nikolaos
| Ayios Nikolaos | |
| Akrotiri and Dhekelia | |
|---|---|
 Ayios Nikolaos Station | |
| Location | |
| Location: | 35°5’17"N, 33°53’23"E |
| Data | |
| Local Government | |
Ayios Nikolaos (Greek: Άγιος Νικόλαος) is a village within the British Sovereign Base Area of Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus, which has become an army garrison. The main road from Larnaca to Famagusta runs through the village. The village is in a bubble of British territory surrounded by the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and connected to the main area of the Dhekelia Garrison only by a road, which road belongs to the SBA.
The name Άγιος Νικόλαος is a very common place name in Greece and Cyprus; it is Greek for "Saint Nicholas".
The village site stands at the very edge of the "Green Line", the United Nations buffer zone between Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus and the rest of the island, and a crossing point stands here, controlled on the one side by Sovereign Base Areas Police and on the north by the police of the de facto Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. At the time of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Turks halted here so as not to invade British territory.
Ayios Nikolaos Station
Ayios Nikolaos Station is the main activity of the village. It is a British army station, used, it is believed, primarily for army and airforce communication and intelligence.
The Joint Service Signal Unit (JSSU), formerly 9 Signal Regiment (2 Wireless Regiment pre-1959) and the Royal Air Force's 33 Signals Unit, is based at Ayios Nikolaos. This unit is believed to be an electronic intelligence gathering station for the Armed Forces and Government Communications Headquarters.[1]
The Joint Service Signal Unit (Cyprus) (JSSU(Cyp)) was formed on 27 May 2003 as a result of the amalgamation of the Joint Service Signal Unit (Ayios Nikolaos) and elements of 33 Signals Unit RAF.[2] It is a three-squadron organisation, commanded by a Royal Signals Lieutenant Colonel, with a number of Royal Air Force and civilian contractors attached.
Outside links
References
- ↑ Jeffrey T. Richelson & Desmond Ball, The Ties the Bind: Intelligence Cooperation between the UKUSA Countries, Unwin Hyman, Boston/London and others, 1990, p.194 note 145.
- ↑ Ayios Nikolaos Station archived on 5 August 2009 from the original