India and Cyprus to step up defense, maritime and cybersecurity cooperation, Indian PM says
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — India will step up its defense ties with Cyprus through collaboration between the two countries' respective defense industries, the Indian prime minister said Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi didn't offer details, but he said talks would begin on boosting bilateral maritime and cybersecurity cooperation.
He said after talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides that the two countries would also set up an information exchange mechanism geared toward combatting the threat of terrorism.
Modi's two-day visit to Cyprus, ahead of his trip to Canada for the G7 summit, is the first by an Indian prime minister in more than two decades.
In a joint declaration, the two countries also pledged to expand maritime cooperation through more frequent Indian navy calls to Cypriot ports and looking at enhancing joint maritime training and search and rescue operations.
Modi underscored the role of the envisioned India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) as a means to usher peace and prosperity in the Middle East.
Cyprus figures to act as the linchpin between India, the Middle East and Europe in the trade, energy and digital connectivity corridor, given the island nation's geographical location as the nearest European Union country to the Middle East and India.
Christodoulides said Cyprus was India's 'gateway into Europe' as a base for Indian businesses. He pledged to help implement initiatives such as IMEC that will connect India through specific infrastructure works with the Gulf, the Mediterranean and the European continent.
The Cypriot president said India-EU ties and an upgraded free trade agreement would be among his country's top priorities when Cyprus assumes the 27-member bloc's rotating presidency in the first half of 2026.
The Indian prime minister hailed the visit as a harbinger of a new era of India-Cyprus relations built on shared values and deep historic ties that 'have been tested time and again.'
Former British colonies Cyprus and India were among members of the Non-Aligned Movement, a collection of nations which opted out of the Cold War choice of allegiance to either the West or the Communist bloc.
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