Modi Addresses ‘Conflict in West Asia’ In Cyprus; He and Cypriot President Talk Terror

New Delhi: During his visit to Cyprus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (June 16) referred to the ongoing conflicts in West Asia saying “this is not an era of war”, while he and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides condemned terrorism and India expressed its support for the territorial integrity of its host nation.

The two sides also discussed EU-India free trade talks in light of Cyprus being slated to head the Council of the European Union next year, expanding defence cooperation to the maritime domain as well as people-to-people ties.

Modi arrived in Cyprus for a two-day trip – his first foreign visit after he returned from Saudi Arabia following the Pahalgam terror attack in April – on Sunday.

His visit was announced less than two weeks ago, soon after he accepted an eleventh-hour invitation to attend the outreach sessions of the G7 summit in Canada, for which he left after the conclusion of his time in Cyprus.

While in Cyprus, Christodoulides awarded Modi the island nation's highest honour given to foreign heads of government, the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III, named after an archbishop who served as its first president following independence from British rule.

Speaking during a joint press statement in Nicosia on Monday, Modi said both he and Christodoulides have “expressed concern about the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe”.

His remarks come days after Israeli strikes in Iran triggered a deadly conflict and as Israel's offensive in Gaza as well as the Russo-Ukrainian war have continued.

“Their negative impact is not limited to those regions alone. We both believe that this is not an era of war,” Modi added.

Two sides ‘unequivocally’ condemn terrorism

The joint Indo-Cypriot statement issued on Monday said the two sides “unequivocally” condemned terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms, including “cross-border terrorism”.

Cyprus extended its support to India in its “fight against cross-border terrorism”, it said, adding that Modi and Christodoulides strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack and said that those responsible for it must be held to account.

The two leaders “urged all states to respect the sovereignty of other nations”, “called for the disruption of terrorism financing networks”, the “elimination of safe havens” and the “dismantling of terrorist infrastructure”.

Around two weeks after Pahalgam, India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, targeting ‘terrorist infrastructure’ at nine places in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan, which it blamed for the attack. Islamabad denied the allegation and the two sides became embroiled in a deadly four-day-long military conflict that ended with a ceasefire on May 10.

India supports ‘territorial integrity, unity of Republic of Cyprus’

India offered its “unwavering and consistent support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of the Republic of Cyprus”, which since 1974 has controlled roughly the southern two-thirds of the island of Cyprus, with the northern third being controlled by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

The division came into being after a Turkish invasion of the island in June 1974, which in turn followed an ouster of Makarios III by a guerrilla group controlled by Greece's then-military junta.

Greek- and Turkish-speakers make up Cyprus island's main ethnic groups, with the Republic of Cyprus and Northern Cyprus separated by a UN-run buffer zone.

Both Cyprus and India, Monday's joint statement said, were committed 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 remarks also come on the heels of a period of tension in India's relationship with Turkey amid the Indo-Pakistani conflict. New Delhi had revoked the security clearance of a Turkey-based airport services firm and postponed the ceremony in which the Turkish ambassador-designate was to present his credentials to President Droupadi Murmu.

The action occurred amid some public opposition to Ankara's support for Islamabad during the conflict and against the backdrop of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's statements on Kashmir since the reading down of Article 370.

Christodoulides condoles Air India plane crash

Alongside, India and Cyprus discussed expanding defence cooperation to the maritime sector, spoke of their “readiness to support the conclusion of the EU-India free trade agreement by the end of this year” and said they would work to finalise a “Mobility Pilot Program Arrangement”, also by year-end.

Modi and Christodoulides met upon the former's arrival in Cyprus on Sunday, when they also met at a private dinner, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

The next day Modi's host gave him a ceremonial welcome at the Presidential Palace and later the two went on a walk in the historic centre of Nicosia in the country's interior as well as along its Mediterranean coast.

During the joint press statement with Modi, Christodoulides also condoled the crash of the London-bound Air India flight 171 in Ahmedabad on Thursday, in which 241 of the aircraft's 242 passengers were killed in addition to some 30 others on the ground.

He also thanked Modi for India's participation in the UN's peacekeeping force in Cyprus.

Modi left for Canada after his engagements in the country.

Per the MEA, there are over 11,100 Indians living in Cyprus. Trade between the countries amounted to almost $137 million in 2023-24.

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