The UK's two military bases on Cyprus are a "colonial consequence" on the island and talks on their status and future need to take place, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has told the BBC.

"When the situation is over in the Middle East we are going to have an open and frank discussion with the British government," he said as he arrived for an EU leaders' summit in Brussels.

Under the 1960 treaty establishing Cypriot independence from Britain, the UK was given sovereignty of bases at Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

However, RAF Akrotiri was targeted by drones this month shortly after the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran and the UK has faced some criticism for its response to the attack.

The drones are thought to have been fired from Lebanon by Iranian-backed group Hezbollah and protesters have complained that the British bases on the island have made Cyprus a target.

Two of the drones were intercepted, but a third hit Akrotiri causing "minimal damage". A British naval frigate dispatched in response to the drone strike is on its way to the island.

The two sovereign bases in the south and south-east of Cyprus have not been used for US operations against Iran, although the UK has since granted the US permission to use them for "specific defensive operations".

Akrotiri and Dhekelia make up 98 sq miles (254 sq km) of Cyprus and are a significant source of employment.

"We have more than 10,000 Cypriot citizens within the British bases. We have responsibility for those people," Christodoulides said.

Any potential negotiations on the future of the bases would be very complicated given the founding agreements involved the UK, Greece, Turkey as well as representatives from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities.

Asked if he wanted the bases to go, the Cypriot leader said: "We have a clear approach with regard to the future of the British bases... I'm not going to negotiate publicly."

Responding to a BBC request for a response to the remarks, the UK's Ministry of Defence highlighted Defence Secretary John Healey's comments in Parliament last week, when he said Cyprus's head of the National Guard had told him: "Our military co-operation has never been closer."

Healey visited the UK's air defence team on Cyprus earlier this month and said UK support there was backed up by Nato allies including the US, France, Greece and Germany.

The UK said it had boosted its presence its military presence in response to the attack on Akrotiri, although it was not until this week that HMS Dragon, which was deployed to boost defences in Cyprus, entered the Mediterranean.

Two Greek frigates and a French naval ship arrived off Cyprus within days of the attack, and Spain also deployed a frigate, as part of a broader response to help their European ally.