PM Modi, Cyprus Prez Nikos Boost Bilateral Relations to Strategic Level | India-Cyprus Ties | N18G

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]These documents reflect the growing multifaceted bilateral cooperation as part of the India Cyprus strategic partnership.

[00:00:08]We will begin with exchange of two two MOUs, namely the MOU on establishing a joint working group on counterterrorism and the MOU in the field of diplomatic training between the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service of India and the Diplomatic Academy of Cyprus.

[00:00:28]These documents will be exchanged by His Excellency Dr. Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and by Dr. S. Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India.

[00:01:02]We next have two documents, the MOU on innovation and technology between the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of Cyprus and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India and the technical arrangement for establishment of official coordination and cooperation on search and rescue matters between the Larnaca Joint Research Coordination Center of Cyprus and the Ministry of Defense of India.

[00:01:30]These documents will be exchanged by His Excellency Dr. Nikodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary of India.

[00:01:52]>> [applause] >> between the Ministry of Education of India and the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport, Government of Cyprus will be exchanged by His Excellency, uh Her Excellency Ms. Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus, and Shri Siby George, Secretary West in the Ministry of External Affairs.

[00:02:25]>> [applause] >> The MoU on Cultural Cooperation for the years 2026 to 2030 between the Ministry of Culture of India and the Deputy Ministry of Culture of Cyprus will be exchanged by Her Excellency Ms. Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus and Shri Manish, High Commissioner of India to Cyprus.

[00:03:06]>> [applause] [applause] >> This concludes the exchange ceremony.

[00:03:19]I would like to inform that Prime Minister Modi will be addressing the media in Hindi.

[00:03:23]Members of the audience may use the audio device provided to them to listen to the translation in English language.

[00:03:30]I now request the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs to conduct the rest of the proceedings.

[00:03:40]Namaskar. Good afternoon, Your Excellency Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus, Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, Honorable Ministers, members of both delegations, friends from the media. We will now have the press statements. May I request honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi to give his remarks to the media.

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[00:07:42]I get better. and agricultural sector may Bharatiya companies Kelly Naya also provide Kelly or Bharat get they say birthday shipping or maritime sector may Naya Nimesh liquor I get I'm Cyprus get that milk up gift City go a global financial or services hub banana cake video go get the thing gay or they know they show the innovation or startup ecosystem to beach connect but I think gay friends Ruksha or Suraksha say you will be Amara sambandh over a map of thumb hair I'm about to see here the picture which was so mad don't know they show the beach military exchange or training say you but I think gay I don't know me cyber security maritime security or counter terrorism say you will be or my book gonna get a new relay I it's not even any I'm Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative or India Middle East Europe economic corridor just say my book by hello say connectivity soon as it gonna get a new relay I South milk up I'm going to get gay friends Cyprus by the way Bharatiya professionals or students Amara logo to beach some under go all for sector banana hair in tight go or so that the government Kelly I'm not going to tell the heat a map of migration and mobility partnership or South South >> President of the Republic of Cyprus to give his remarks to the media.

[00:11:36]Your Excellency, Prime Minister Modi, I feel uh exceptionally honored and privileged to be in Delhi for this uh state visit.

[00:11:47]Almost a year since your historic visit to Cyprus.

[00:11:54]And we stand uh together in marking another milestone in further strengthening the long-standing bonds between our two countries and in deepening and expanding our strategic cooperation.

[00:12:15]In this context, in this uh first visit to India as President of the Republic of Cyprus, my focus is on our bilateral relations, but at the same time on the broader strategic relationship between India and the European Union.

[00:12:33]And Your Excellency, these two strands are connected and mutually reinforcing.

[00:12:42]And today, I'm not here only in my capacity as President of the Republic of Cyprus. I'm also here in my capacity as a President of the member state of the European Union that proudly holds the presidency of the Council.

[00:12:59]And so these talks uh cross at a juncture when both our bilateral relations and the European Union-India relations have made leaps of progress over the last year.

[00:13:12]And we are here to put more building blocks to these uh to these two partnerships.

[00:13:21]Dear friends, in our discussions today, the Prime Minister and I reaffirm that our relations have entered a new era.

[00:13:30]Over the past year, accelerated by the visit of the Prime Minister Modi to to Cyprus, our partnership has advanced with a remarkable speed and determination.

[00:13:44]What began as a strategic vision is now evolving into a concrete partnership, a partnership already producing tangible results across key areas, including security, defense, technology, innovation, maritime cooperation, education, and economic connectivity.

[00:14:07]And I'm very pleased that one of the deliverables today is the creation of a joint task force on cooperation in key sectors, such as infrastructure, shipping, and economic cooperation.

[00:14:26]And at the same time, I'm very pleased that building on the joint declaration on the implementation of our strategic partnership agreed during Prime Minister's visit last year, our two countries signed today a series of memorandum of understanding and a road map to further deepen cooperation across strategic sectors.

[00:14:51]Together, these agreements reflect both the breadth of our partnership and our shared commitment to further expand the horizon of Cyprus-India cooperation.

[00:15:05]Dear friends, this historic bond, this affinity between our countries and our peoples, goes back centuries.

[00:15:15]Cyprus-India relations are rooted in a shared historical experiences and common values.

[00:15:23]They were forged through common struggles from for freedom and the right of peoples to self-determination.

[00:15:31]And those relations are consistently strengthened through our shared commitment to peace, democracy, and respect for international law.

[00:15:43]And today, in an increasingly fragmented world, this partnership must be seen in a new light because Cyprus and India are once again called upon to work together and address the challenges of a changing world.

[00:16:03]Dear friends, as I referenced at the outset, in these times of growing geopolitical uncertainty, I firmly believe that the partnership between the European Union and India must become even stronger.

[00:16:19]Because this relationship is no longer driven only by economics.

[00:16:25]It is evolving at a fast pace into a broader, comprehensive strategic partnership grounded in shared interests, shared responsibilities, and a common commitment to stability, resilience, and prosperity.

[00:16:44]Indeed, Europe and India have every reason to deepen their cooperation further on security, on trade, on technology, innovation, and of course connectivity.

[00:16:59]Because together, the European Union and India, India, the world's largest democracy, can play a defining role not only for our regions, but also for global stability and prosperity.

[00:17:16]And this is why this is precisely why I'm particularly pleased to be here during the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the European Union.

[00:17:27]A presidency guided by openness, openness to partnerships, and openness to the world.

[00:17:33]A presidency that firmly believes that European Union-India relations will be one of the defining partnerships of the coming decades.

[00:17:46]In this context, your friends, I greatly welcome the strong momentum already developing in EU-India relations, clearly demonstrated during the European Union-India summit here in January.

[00:18:00]Progress on the milestone free trade agreement, creating one of the world's largest free trade zones, and a market of 2 billion people, the security and defense partnership, and the joint comprehensive strategic agenda sent a clear message. A message of confidence, ambition, and a deeper cooperation across trade, security, technology, and global governance. And as the president of the commission very correctly stated, this is a tale of two giants who choose partnership in a win-win win fashion.

[00:18:44]Because cooperation between the world's two largest economies and democracies is the best answer to the global challenges we face.

[00:18:55]Is the best investment for our people.

[00:19:00]Let me also underline this.

[00:19:02]The European Union-India partnership is an integral part of the vision of the Cyprus presidency for a union that is more open to the world.

[00:19:15]Dear friends, in this path, in this effort, Cyprus is uniquely positioned to serve as a trusted, stable, reliable bridge between India and Europe.

[00:19:30]A bridge between the European Union, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the wider Middle East. In this context, we have continued our conversation with the Prime Minister about regional connectivity initiatives, including, of course, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor.

[00:19:51]Let me stress once again that I consider this a visionary initiative, reflecting the growing importance of trusted interconnection between the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe.

[00:20:08]And Cyprus, located at the crossroads of three continents and the gateway to Europe, stands ready to contribute actively to this shared vision, a vision of connectivity, a vision of openness, a vision of partnership.

[00:20:26]And this is why, upon the upon the initiative of Cyprus, we have formed the Friends of IMEC group, a group that brings together signatories and interested EU member states to advance connectivity, stability, and economic cooperation across our wider region.

[00:20:48]Dear friends, Prime Minister Modi and I also discussed broader regional and international developments, reaffirming our shared commitment to international law, the United Nations Charter, and, of course, effective multilateralism.

[00:21:08]Principles that matter today more than ever before.

[00:21:14]And in this context, allow me to sincerely thank the Prime Minister on behalf of our Cyprus and the Cypriot people.

[00:21:23]We deeply value India's long-standing support on our efforts to reunify Cyprus.

[00:21:30]And I wanted to thank you for your steadfast support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.

[00:21:41]In this regard, I wish to take this opportunity to reiterate that Cyprus also support India's growing global role including its rightful place in a reformed United Nations Security Council.

[00:22:00]Because your Excellency, global governance must reflect today's realities.

[00:22:08]Ladies and gentlemen, today's meeting stands as a confirmation that India and Cyprus, Cyprus and India are not simply strengthening bilateral ties.

[00:22:22]We are building a partnership with strategic depth and global relevance for our countries, our peoples, and for our respective regions. A partnership built on trust and on the conviction that dialogue and cooperation, and not confrontation, is the path forward.

[00:22:47]Because nations like ours do not pave the way to the future through wars and divisions.

[00:22:55]We do it through building bridges, through dialogue, through cooperation, and growth.

[00:23:03]for Cyprus and India, for Europe and India, for the centuries behind us and the future ahead of us.

[00:23:13]Thank you very much.

[00:23:18]Thank you, sir. That concludes the press statements, ladies and gentlemen.

[00:23:22]Thank you very much for your presence.

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