India and the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) have sustained and deepened their bilateral relations through a series of high-level political engagements, Ministerial meetings, and institutional consultations in recent years. A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that both countries have consistently reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing cooperation across a wide spectrum of areas including trade, innovation, defence, maritime, legal exchange, and digital transformation.
The foundation of this longstanding relationship has been reinforced through key high-level visits. President Nicos Anastasiades of RoC paid a State visit to India from 24–29 April 2017, while the then President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, visited Cyprus from 2–4 September 2018. In subsequent years, bilateral ties have continued to progress through meetings between top leadership and diplomatic representatives.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Anastasiades during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on 26 September 2019 and earlier during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London on 20 April 2018.
External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has had multiple engagements with his Cypriot counterparts in recent years. In a virtual meeting with then Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides on 16 February 2021, both sides expressed satisfaction over the growing trajectory of bilateral ties and agreed to maintain momentum across high-level exchanges, economic partnership, and people-to-people ties. EAM Jaishankar held further discussions with Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides on the sidelines of CHOGM 2022 in Kigali and again at the 77th UNGA in New York in September 2022.
EAM Dr. Jaishankar visited Cyprus from 29–31 December 2022. During the visit, he held meetings with Acting President and Speaker of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou, and Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides. Two key agreements were signed: a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence and Military Cooperation and a Declaration of Intent on a Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA). Additionally, RoC joined the International Solar Alliance during this visit. EAM and his counterpart also addressed an Economic and Business Forum in Limassol on 30 December 2022.
Engagements between the two countries have continued at multilateral fora. EAM met with RoC Foreign Minister Dr. Constantinos Kombos on the sidelines of the EU-Indo Pacific Forum in Stockholm on 13 May 2023, and again during the 78th UNGA in New York on 23 September 2023, followed by another meeting during the 79th UNGA on 25 September 2024, and later during the Doha Forum on 7 December 2024.
Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shantanu Thakur visited Cyprus from 8–11 October 2023 to attend the “Cyprus Maritime 2023 Conference” in Limassol. The event, inaugurated by President Nikos Christodoulides, served as a platform to discuss maritime cooperation and future shipping partnerships. On the sidelines, MoS held a bilateral meeting with the Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis and also engaged with the Indian shipping community and professionals based in Cyprus.
Dr. Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy of RoC, led a delegation to New Delhi from 5–6 September 2024 to participate in the “CII India Mediterranean Business Conclave.” He joined Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and EAM Jaishankar during a ministerial session on trade and investment.
Judicial and legal cooperation also received a boost when a high-level delegation from India, led by Justice Surya Kant and Attorney General R. Venkataramani, visited RoC to attend the Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA) International Conference held at UCLan Cyprus from 7–8 October 2024.
To institutionalize the strategic dialogue, the sixth round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held on 26 November 2024 in Nicosia.
