PM Modi Cyprus Visit: ‘This is not the era of war’, Prime Minister Modi spoke on the ongoing conflict in Middle East and Europe

PM Modi receives Nation’s Top Civilian award -PM Modi and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides-Photo credit- Reuters

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Cyprus is being seen as a message to Turkey. In fact, Turkey is accused of occupying one-third of Cyprus since 1974. During ‘Operation Sindoor’, Turkey openly supported Pakistan and provided drones to Pakistan.

In Cyprus, A Surprise Greeting For PM Modi, Local Official Touches His Feet-Photo Credit – Reuters

PM Modi – Photo: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was officially welcomed on Monday June 16, 2025 at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus. Prime Minister Modi is on a two-day official visit to Cyprus at the invitation of President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Christodoulides. This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus in two decades. Here Prime Minister Modi held talks with President Christodoulides in Nicosia. This visit shows the shared commitment of both the countries to strengthen bilateral relations, to advance India’s relations with the Mediterranean region and the European Union.

After the meeting with the President of Cyprus, Prime Minister Modi said that we expressed concern over the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe. We believe that this is not the era of war. The Prime Minister thanked Cyprus for supporting India’s permanent membership in the Security Council. He said that India-Cyprus-Greece partnership has been launched this year. The India-West Asia-Europe Economic Corridor will pave the way for peace and prosperity in the region. He said that this is the visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus after a gap of more than two decades. This is an opportunity to write a new chapter in mutual relations.

At the same time, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said that we discussed enhancing our bilateral relations and synergy in various fields. We want to work on defense cooperation, crisis management, tourism, innovation and artificial intelligence. We agreed to work together so that we can deliver concrete results.

PM Modi Cyprus Visit – Photo : PTI

Delegation level talks in Nicosia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides held delegation level talks in Nicosia, Cyprus. PM Modi thanked everyone for being awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III on behalf of Cyprus. Prime Minister Modi said that this honor given to me is not only an honor for me but also for my country. It is a seal of unbreakable friendship between Cyprus and India.

He said that this honor is not just mine, it is an honor for 140 crore Indians. It is an honor for their capabilities and aspirations. It is an honor for the cultural brotherhood of our country and the ideology of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. I dedicate this honor to the friendly relations between India and Cyprus and our shared values ​​and mutual understanding. I accept this honor on behalf of all Indians with utmost humility and gratitude. This honor is a symbol of our unwavering commitment to peace, security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity of our people.

‘Grateful for Cyprus’ continued support in India’s fight against terrorism’

Prime Minister Modi said, ‘We are grateful for Cyprus’ continued support in India’s fight against cross-border terrorism. A mechanism will be developed for real-time information exchange between our agencies to prevent terrorism, drug and arms smuggling.

Will develop a strong roadmap

PM Modi said that India and Cyprus will develop a strong roadmap to provide strategic direction to cooperation between the two countries. President Nikos Christodoulides and I held bilateral talks. There are similarities in Cyprus’ Vision 2035 and India’s Developed India 2047. Therefore, we will work together towards our shared development. To further strengthen defense and security cooperation, emphasis will be laid on the defense industry. A separate dialogue will be started on cyber and maritime security.

Indian tourists like Cyprus

PM Modi said that Cyprus is a favorite place for Indian tourists. Emphasis will be laid on starting a direct air service to this place. We are excited to see the spread of yoga and Ayurveda in Cyprus. The Prime Minister said that India and the EU are working towards concluding a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) by the end of this year. I discussed the economic ties between our two countries with President Nikos Christodoulides. I saw a sense of excitement and synergy within the business community about this. India and the EU are working towards concluding a Free Trade Agreement by the end of this year.

PM Modi Cyprus Visit – Photo : PTI

Christodoulides expressed grief over the Ahmedabad plane crash
During the discussion , Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides expressed grief over the Ahmedabad plane crash. He said that Prime Minister, the people of Cyprus are with you about the recent incident. We are with you in this hour of grief. He further said, ‘We have a historical friendship and we trust each other. We are united. Relations between Cyprus and India are based on our shared historical experience and values. This can be because we believe in peace, dialogue, cooperation, democracy and respect for international rules. We believe in the law of the sea and undoubtedly, we believe in maintaining international rules.

Opportunity to discuss many issues like India-EU relations
Christodoulides said, ‘We had the opportunity to discuss many issues like bilateral relations of our two countries and India-EU relations. We also discussed the regional situation and our cooperation under IMEC. If I talk about our bilateral relations, we have discussed expanding it from our political proximity and good relations between our people to a strategic partnership in many areas. Yesterday we attended a business forum in which many industrialists took part. People of both the countries showed a lot of interest. Announcements have also been made in this regard. Today, we discussed how we can further our trade and business relations. We have a geostrategic location, due to which we can serve as a gateway to the EU markets.

PM Modi Cyprus Visit – Photo : PTI

Why is PM Modi’s Cyprus visit important?
The way Turkey openly supported Pakistan during ‘Operation Sindoor’ and also provided drones to Pakistan to attack India, has soured the relations between India and Turkey. Now the Prime Minister is on a visit to Cyprus and his visit is being seen as a message to Turkey. There is enmity between Turkey and Cyprus and there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries since 1974.

Third Indian Prime Minister to visit Cyprus
Prime Minister Modi is the third Indian Prime Minister to visit Cyprus. Earlier, Indira Gandhi visited this country in 1983 and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002. Diplomatic relations between India and Cyprus have always been strong, but such high-level visits have been very rare. President Ram Nath Kovind visited Cyprus in 2018 and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in 2022.