Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s has made a landmark visit to Greek Cyprus with the aim of strengthening strategic ties between New Delhi and Nicosia.
According to the Indian Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides was the first by an Indian premier to Greek Cyprus in over two decades.
The two sides welcomed recent progress in “economic, technological, and people-to-people ties, reflective of the dynamic and evolving nature of the relationship," said the statement by New Delhi.
It added that the two sides discussed the "need for reform of the United Nations Security Council, including ways to make it more effective, efficient, and representative of contemporary geopolitical challenges.”
The Greek Cypriot side also pledged to support reaching an EU-India free trade agreement by the end of this year.
The warming of ties between New Delhi and Nicosia comes after Turkiye’s pro-Pakistan stance during the recent India-Pakistan conflict.
Turkiye has vocally supported Pakistan on Kashmir and has even called for international mediation over the dispute.
Cyprus & Kashmir
The Cyprus dispute (Greek Cypriot vs Turkish Cypriots) and Kashmir issue (India-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir vs. Azad Jammu and Kashmir) share striking parallels—not just in division, but in the external interventions that triggered military escalations.
Turkiye militarily intervened in Cyprus after a Greek junta-backed coup was carried out seeking to annex Cyprus to Greece.
Similarly, Pakistan tribesmen had marched into Kashmir after India’s controversial accession of the Muslim-majority region, that has fuelled decades of unrest.
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