NEW DELHI: India and Cyprus on Friday elevated their bilateral ties to a strategic partnership and unveiled a five-year roadmap for defence cooperation, signalling a major expansion of ties in security, connectivity and trade amid growing geopolitical churn and India’s deepening engagement with Europe.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, covering defence, maritime security, cyber security, trade, investment and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
The two sides also signed six agreements spanning innovation, technology, education, culture and counter-terrorism cooperation.
The agreements included the establishment of a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, a cybersecurity dialogue, and a bilateral connectivity dialogue, while both sides also agreed to conclude a comprehensive Migration and Mobility Partnership and a Social Security Agreement.
“The relationship between India and Cyprus has stood the test of time, time and again. With today’s decision to upgrade the ties to a strategic partnership, we are going to give new ambition and new momentum to our relationship,” Modi said after the talks.
A key outcome of the visit was the adoption of a defence cooperation roadmap for 2026–2031. Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry Sibi George said that the the roadmap will focus on capacity building, technical cooperation and partnerships between Indian and Cypriot defence industries.
“This is the third defence agreement that New Delhi and Nicosia have announced since 2022,” George said.
The roadmap gains significance in the context of India’s Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) with the European Union, signed earlier this year. India’s High Commissioner to Cyprus, Manish, said the agreement opens up opportunities for Indian defence companies to collaborate with European firms under the EU’s €150 billion SAFE programme.
“Cyprus has been allocated $1.5 billion under this programme,” he said, noting that Indian firms could partner with European companies for defence manufacturing and supply chains.
Christodoulides described the partnership as one with “strategic depth and global relevance” and stressed the importance of closer India-EU cooperation amid rising global instability.
“Together, the EU and India, the world’s largest democracy, can play a defining role not only for our regions, but also for global stability and prosperity,” he said.
The Cypriot President also backed IMEC and said Cyprus, positioned at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, was ready to contribute actively to the connectivity initiative. Modi said Cyprus was emerging as “an important investment gateway” between India and Europe and highlighted the growing economic relationship between the two countries.
"Cyprus is one of India’s top 10 investors. Over the past decade, investment from Cyprus to India has almost doubled,” he said.
