Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Cyprus on his way to Canada, where he will participate in the G-7 summit (June 15-17), according to Indian press.
Indian newspaper “The Hindu” reports that “the visit to Cyprus is seen as a message to Türkiye, which had assisted Pakistan during Operation Sindoor”. Indian officials said Modi is expected to meet with President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides.
It adds that “reiterating India’s traditional foreign policy goals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Cyprus and Croatia, official sources said in New Delhi on Monday.”
Both visits are being described as important from a political as well as a commercial point of view.
“Sources in New Delhi hinted that the Cyprus visit will serve as a message to Türkiye, which had assisted Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May. It will also act as a timely revival of top-level contacts, as Cyprus is set to take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026. Cyprus had condemned the terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22 and indicated that it would raise the issue of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan at the EU-level discussions,” “The Hindu” says.
It notes that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had visited Cyprus in 1982, while Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the island nation in 2002. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Nicosia in December 2022, while President Ram Nath Kovind visited in 2018.
The newspaper says that Cyprus has been consistent in its support of India on the Kashmir issue and cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, and has also supported India in its campaign for a permanent seat at the U.N. Security Council, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, while India has supported the resolution of the Cyprus issue as per UNSC resolutions, international law, and the EU acquis.
Officials in New Delhi indicated that both Cyprus and Croatia have acquired growing significance in recent years after the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) was launched during the G-20 summit in New Delhi in 2023. Croatia and Cyprus are being viewed here as “potential participants” and investors in the IMEC-related projects, the newspaper reports.
Source: CNA
Also read: India launches economic war against Turkey
For more videos and updates, check out our YouTube channel.
