Latest news with #CyprusQuestion
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
India backs Cyprus in its fight against Turkiye
Modi with President Christodoulides (left) during a visit to the Historic Centre of Nicosia. In the background is the Kyrenia mountain range, painted with the flags of Turkiye and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. NEW DELHI: With Israel and Iran teetering on the brink of a full-blown war, PM Narendra Modi on Monday said resolving issues through dialogue and restoring stability was the cry of humanity. Speaking alongside Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, Modi reiterated his message that this isn't the era of war. Modi's visit to Cyprus - the first by an Indian PM in 23 years - saw the two sides discussing efforts to scale up cooperation in defence, security and connectivity with focus on IMEEC, with the PM strongly backing sovereignty and territorial integrity of the eastern Mediterranean country that is not recognised by Turkiye, a Pakistan ally. "We both have expressed concern about the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe. Their negative impact is not limited to that region alone. We both believe that this is not the era of war," Modi said after his talks with the Cypriot president. Modi thanked Cyprus for its continued support to India's fight against cross-border terrorism and announced a new mechanism for real-time information exchange to counter terrorism, drug and arms smuggling. The president reiterated Cyprus's strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, backing India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a show of solidarity with Cyprus, Modi visited the Green Line - a UN-controlled buffer zone that separates Northern Cyprus, an area occupied by Turkish forces in 1974, from the Republic of Cyprus - along with Christodoulides. This is significant in the context of Turkiye's continued support to Pakistan that saw Ankara helping Islamabad militarily during the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Turkish President Recep Erdogan himself later said Turkiye would continue to stand by Pakistan, though "good times and bad". Modi also reiterated India's traditional support for Cyprus's unity and for a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus Question based on UN Security Council resolutions and international law. Several of these resolutions call for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the island of Cyprus. "India reiterated its unwavering and consistent support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. In this regard, both sides emphasised the need to avoid unilateral actions as essential for creating a conducive environment for the resumption of meaningful negotiations," said a joint statement. Modi said the two sides would prepare a roadmap to give a strategic direction to the partnership for the next five years. On the issue of terrorism, both sides reiterated in a joint statement their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, rejecting any justification for such acts, under any circumstances. "They emphasised that those responsible for the attacks should be held accountable," said the statement, while condemning the Pahalgam attack.
India Gazette
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Cyprus President, PM Modi view mountains near Nicosia which are under Turkish occupation
Nicosia [Cyprus], June 16 (ANI): Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday viewed the mountains near Nicosia, which are under Turkish occupation, and engraved on the mountains are words which remind the Cypriots that a large part of their country has been under occupation since 1974. PM Modi, who visited Cyprus in the first leg of his three-nation visit, reiterated India's support for Cyprus's unity and for a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus Question based on UN Security Council resolutions, international law, and the EU Acquis. India has reiterated its unwavering and consistent support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. A joint declaration released after meeting between the Cyprus President and PM Modi said that both sides emphasized the need to avoid unilateral actions as essential for creating a conducive environment for the resumption of meaningful negotiations. The two countries expressed their strong commitment to the resumption of UN-facilitated efforts to achieve a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Cyprus Question on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, in accordance with the agreed UN framework and the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions,' the statement said. According to Cyprus High Commission in New Delhi, Turkish armed forces staged a full-scale invasion against Cyprus in 1974 and Turkey proceeded to occupy the northern part of the island and empty it from its Greek inhabitants. It said that the United Nations has in several resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council demanded respect for the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Cyprus, the return of refugees to their homes and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the island. All of these resolutions have been consistently ignored by Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Cyprus, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 23 years, is being viewed as a diplomatic signal to Turkey, which has occupied one-third of the island since 1974 and had backed Pakistan during Operation Sindoor last month. Cyprus has backed India on the issue of terrorism. Cyprus forms part of the energy corridor that will connect India with Europe and strengthen East-West connectivity through the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC). In the joint declaration released on Monday, Cyprus and India unequivocally condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including international and cross-border terrorism, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to countering hybrid threats that undermine peace and stability. Cyprus expressed solidarity and unwavering support to India in its fight against cross-border terrorism. The two leaders strongly condemned the gruesome killing of civilians in the recent heinous terrorist attacks in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. They reiterated their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, rejecting any justification for such acts, under any circumstances. They emphasized that those responsible for the attacks should be held accountable. PM Modi and Cyprus President urged all states to respect the sovereignty of other nations and condemned cross-border terrorism in all its forms. They called for the disruption of terrorism financing networks, elimination of safe havens, dismantling of terrorist infrastructure, and bringing perpetrators of terrorism to justice swiftly. Emphasizing the need for a comprehensive, coordinated, and sustained approach to combatting terrorism across borders, they underscored the importance of working collaboratively, bilaterally and with the multilateral system. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening multilateral efforts to combat terrorism and called for the expeditious finalization and adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism within the UN framework. They urged for concerted actions against all UN- and EU-designated terrorists and terrorist entities, associated proxy groups, facilitators, and sponsors, including terrorists under 1267 UNSC Sanctions Committee. They reiterated their strong commitment to continue taking active measures to disrupt terrorist financing channels including through the UN and Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Acknowledging emerging challenges within the international security environment, the leaders stressed the importance of enhancing strategic autonomy, defence readiness, and defence capabilities. (ANI)
The Print
14 hours ago
- Politics
- The Print
From Cyprus-Turkey buffer zone, Modi extends support for Nicosia's territorial integrity
Prime Minister Modi's visit to Cyprus comes after Turkey, which invaded the Mediterranean nation in 1974, showed strong support for Pakistan following Operation Sindoor last month. PM Modi was even given a guided tour of the ceasefire line between Cyprus and Turkey by President Nikos Christodoulides, with the Indian Prime Minister being shown the mountains near Nicosia, which is currently under Turkish occupation. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Monday strongly pitched for the 'territorial integrity' of Cyprus, the European nation which has since the 1970s been divided following an invasion by Turkey. Ankara has propped up the regime in Northern Cyprus–the Turkish part located in the North Eastern portion of the island–which has no international recognition. The UN maintains a buffer zone between the two parts of Cyprus. 'India reiterated its unwavering and consistent support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. In this regard, both sides emphasized the need to avoid unilateral actions as essential for creating a conducive environment for the resumption of meaningful negotiation,' the joint statement agreed upon by Modi and President Nikos Christodoulides said. The joint statement added: 'Cyprus and India expressed their strong commitment to the resumption of UN-facilitated efforts to achieve a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Cyprus Question on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, in accordance with the agreed UN framework and the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.' The President of Cyprus said that he had briefed Modi on the 'Cyprus Question', specifically on the 'occupation' of a part of its territory by Turkey, and calling for its own territorial integrity, while thanking India for its long support through the UN peacekeeping missions in the Mediterranean nation. A number of distinguished Indian military officers including Lt. General K.S. Thimayya, P.S. Gyani and Major-General Dewan Prem Chand have served in UN Peacekeeping missions in Cyprus. From Cyprus, the Prime Minister will travel to Canada to attend the G7 summit, before travelling to Croatia on 18 June for a bilateral visit, subsequent to which he will return to India. Nicosia has positioned itself as a European base for India, with the two nations agreeing to strengthen cooperation in defence and security matters, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the country. 'To further strengthen defence and security cooperation, emphasis will be laid on the defence industry under the bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme. A separate dialogue will be started on cyber and maritime security,' PM Modi said during the joint statement to the press. Earlier this year, New Delhi and Nicosia signed the bilateral defence cooperation programme. PM Modi announced that both nations would soon start work on a five-year action plan towards deepening defence cooperation. The Indian Prime Minister added: 'To prevent terrorism, drug and arms smuggling, a mechanism for real time information exchange will be created between our agencies.' President Christodoulides defended India's right to respond to terrorist attacks to protect its people, noting that this is Modi's first trip abroad since the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on 22 April, which left 26 people dead. PM Modi was also awarded the Order of Makarios III by Christodoulides. The Indian Prime Minister has received over 20 international awards in the last eleven years. IMEC, Trade & EU FTA Cyprus has focused on positioning itself as a potential regional connectivity partner with India through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). Christodoulides brought it up during the bilateral discussions with Modi, highlighting that its 'geo-strategic location' can be India's gateway to Europe. 'We also talked about increasing connectivity with the Mediterranean region. We agree that the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) will pave the way for peace and prosperity in the region,' said PM Modi. As a part of regional connectivity, both Modi and Christodoulides welcomed the prospect of Indian shipping companies in establishing a presence in Cyprus, given its potential to 'serve as a regional hub for transshipment, storage, distribution, and logistics.' The Indian Prime Minister reiterated that this is not an 'era for war', calling for dialogue and diplomacy to end the current conflicts in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. In that context, the Indian Prime Minister positioned IMEC as a potential peacemaker in the future. During his visit, a number of agreements in the business sector were signed Sunday, including one between the National Payments Corporation of India ( NPCI) and Eurobank of Cyprus to introduce Unified Payment Interface (UPI) services in Cyprus for cross border transactions. India's GIFT city (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Cyprus Stock Exchange to enable cross border flows. 'This year, the 'India, Cyprus and Greece Business and Investment Council' has also been launched. These initiatives will also boost mutual trade and investment between the two countries. Mutual cooperation in areas such as technology, innovation, health, agriculture, renewable energy and climate justice was also discussed in detail,' said the Indian Prime Minister. Modi affirmed that the free trade agreement between India and the European Union should be concluded before the end of the year–a target which was set in February during the visit of the EU's college of commissioners to India. The Prime Minister also called for direct air-to-air connectivity between the two countries, given the 'favoured' status Cyprus offers to Indian tourists, while emphasising that work on a mobility agreement will be started soon. 'In light of ongoing global crises, both sides committed to strengthening cooperation in emergency preparedness and coordinated crisis response. Drawing on past successful efforts, the leaders agreed to institutionalise coordination in evacuation and Search and Rescue (SAR) operations,' added the joint statement. (Edited by Viny Mishra) Also read: Cyprus bestows highest honour on Modi, PM dedicates it to friendly ties between both countries
