India, Cyprus upgrade ties, sign pact to counter terror | India News
New Delhi: India and Cyprus upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership, launched a roadmap for defense cooperation and signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint working group against terrorism as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted President Nicos Christodoulides for talks. Modi said relations with Cyprus, which currently holds the presidency of the EU Council, are based on shared values like democracy and rule of law, reiterating India’s support for the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Eastern Mediterranean country which is not recognized by Tukey.“We respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations. India is and will remain fully committed to these principles,” Modi said, calling Cyprus an important investment gateway between India and Europe as a whole. He said Cyprus is one of India’s top 10 investors and with growing confidence and capitalizing on the India-EU FTA, both sides aimed to double this investment in the next five years.“This strategic partnership between India and Cyprus will unlock capital for trade by connecting the financial and service centers of both countries. It will provide new opportunities for Indian companies in Cyprus’s infrastructure, energy and agriculture sectors and bring new investment in India’s fast-growing shipping and maritime sectors,” said the Prime Minister.The leaders discussed the IMEC initiative and defense and security cooperation, with Modi calling it an important pillar of the relationship. “We are very happy that military exchanges and training cooperation between the two countries have increased over the past few years. Today we have decided to further strengthen cooperation in cyber security, maritime security and counter-terrorism,” the Prime Minister said. Both sides have also established a cyber security dialogue.With many Indian students and professionals living in Cyprus, both sides soon agreed on a comprehensive migration and mobility partnership, as well as a social security agreement.Prime Minister Modi highlighted Ukraine and West Asian issues in his media statements, saying both countries would continue to support peace efforts and a speedy end to the conflict. The two leaders also agreed that reform of global institutions is necessary and important to address growing global challenges, with the President reiterating Cyprus’ support for India’s bid for permanent membership in a reformed Security Council.The leaders reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, rejected double standards, state-sponsored terrorism and condemned cross-border terrorism and the Pahalgam terror attack while rejecting any justification for such actions under any circumstances.“Cyprus expresses its solidarity and unwavering support to India in its fight against cross-border terrorism,” the joint statement said.Both leaders recognized the transformative potential of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) in rebuilding and promoting global trade, connectivity and prosperity. “They reiterated their partnership commitment to promote stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East and emphasized the importance of deepening the corridor of connectivity and connectivity from India through the wider Middle East to Europe. They discussed establishing a bilateral engagement dialogue,” the statement said.
