VOIWORLD/DESK
PM Modi Cyprus visit is the first visit by an Indian PM to Cyprus in over 20 years. While the ties with Cyprus are important, experts also see this as a strategic signal to Turkey, which recently supported Pakistan in conflict with India
Cyprus is an Island nation situation just off the coast of Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. It is also located close to Syria. It is a member of the European Union (EU) despite being geographically in Asia.
On his visit to Cyprus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the India-Cyprus CEO Forum and reiterated India, European Union’s commitment to free trade agreement (FTA) by year-end.
The island nation got independence from the British in 1960.
India has called Cyprus one of Indiaʼs dependable friends.”
Ministry of External Affairs said:
“It supports Indiaʼs candidature as a permanent member of the expanded UN Security Council. It has also extended its full support for the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, within the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which helps India address its increasing energy needs and benefit its economic development,” the MEA document says.
Turkey has irked India in many ways. It has not just supported Pakistan in terms of international resolutions and statements on Kashmir, during the recent conflict after Operation Sindoor, many of the drones Pakistan attacked India with were found to have been of Turkish origin. This has crossed a line for India.
Secondly, its geographic location makes it a crucial part of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), an infrastructure project that India expects multiple benefits from. IMEC is supposed to boost trade and connectivity between India and Europe via the Middle East, and Cyprus, in the Mediterranean, has an important role to play.
Cyprus is set to hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2026, and as India looks to build stronger trade and security ties with Europe, Nicosia could be a crucial ally.
