Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in New Delhi on Friday and elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, agreeing to establish a joint task force for shipping and infrastructure cooperation. The leaders signed multiple agreements covering defense, counter-terrorism, technology and education.
Modi and Christodoulides held delegation-level talks at Hyderabad House attended by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval. Both sides agreed to a Joint Working Group on counter-terrorism and a defense cooperation roadmap for 2026-2031. MoUs were signed on diplomatic training and higher education research.
Christodoulides arrived Thursday after a business forum in Mumbai aimed at boosting investment ties. His visit builds on Modi’s historic trip to Cyprus in June 2025, the first by an Indian prime minister to the Mediterranean nation in more than two decades. Cyprus currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Modi said the strategic partnership would infuse new ambition into relations rooted in shared democratic values. Cypriot investments in India have nearly doubled over the past decade. Officials described the visit as a milestone ahead of 65 years of diplomatic relations in 2027.
President Christodoulides was formally received at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where President Droupadi Murmu hosted a state banquet in his honor. Cyprus holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, adding diplomatic weight to discussions on India-EU trade and technology cooperation.
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Sources:
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/india-cyprus-set-up-joint-task-force-to-facilitate-deeper-cooperation-in-infrastructure-shipping-2026-05-22-1042068