India, Cyprus ink defence cooperation agreement as Jaishankar visits Nicosia

During his visit, Jaishankar met his Cypriot counterpart Kasoulides and signed an agreement on defence and military cooperation, another Letter of Intent on immigration and mobility, as well as the agreement on Cyprus joining the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

The two leaders also shared their vision for world peace, freedom, democracy, and the rule of law.

Kasoulides said India and Cyprus were driven by their partnership to diversify and deepen the people-to-people contact to shape a naturally strong and longstanding bond of friendship.

Jaishankar and Kasoulides also took an opportunity to go over the full spectrum of bilateral relations alongside a range of global issues such as the Ukraine conflict and the situation in Afghanistan.

Jaishankar said it was a “matter of pleasure to be here on my first official visit as the Minister of External Affairs and this takes place as we mark 60 years of our diplomatic relations. It is a matter of particular pride and pleasure that I could be here for the occasion”.

The minister said his meeting with his Cypriot counterpart demonstrates India’s commitment towards deepening its bilateral cooperation. “India-Cyprus partnership is one of immense importance,” he said.

“It is rooted in our shared values of democracy, diversity, pluralism and respect for law. The strategic aspects of the relationship have gained a new meaning in recent years, reflected in our bilateral engagements,” he said.

The exchange of views on the various crucial challenges facing the international community today was particularly useful. In growing our own ties and working with other partners, we are both guided by shared values and common principles, he added.

“We have had today very productive discussions on our bilateral relations, on our multilateral cooperation, on geopolitical and regional challenges. So we exchanged views on our respective neighbourhoods, on the Indo-Pacific, on the Middle East or West Asia as we call it, on Europe, on India-EU relations,” Jaishankar told reporters.

Describing the agreements as “important”, Jaishankar said the two countries have inked an MoU on Defence and Military Cooperation.

The second was the Letter of Intent on Migration and Mobility Partnership which, he said, will provide a common framework of arrangement and cooperation to facilitate the mobility of students, academics, business people and professionals and also help in combating irregular migration.

On the signing of the Framework Agreement on International Solar Alliance by Cyprus, Jaishankar said he believes that bilateral cooperation in the field of renewable energy will gain as a result.

The minister also said that the two countries have released commemorative stamps on Thursday on the occasion of 75 years of India’s Independence and 60 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

“I would say there is a lot that we can today be proud of in our bilateral relationship and the level of our comfort and the extent of our cooperation is clearly something that is very visible for all of you to see,” Jaishankar said.

The external affairs minister also said that the Covid pandemic and ongoing conflicts around the world demanded that the international community address new challenges like food and energy security, which are particularly pressing issues.

“As a responsible member of the international community, India has joined its other partners in working towards extending humanitarian aid, medicines, vaccines, food grains and other forms of assistance. We face these challenges today as really conscientious members of the global order and it is important that we work collectively to find common solutions,” the minister said.

Jaishankar also mentioned India’s G-20 presidency and said that New Delhi’s endeavour to involve as many countries as possible and steer the conversation in the grouping towards equitable and sustainable growth.

The Cypriot minister said India and Cyprus welcomed the strong momentum in their bilateral cooperation but looked to further strengthen the ties in fields such as trade, commerce, investment, maritime affairs, tourism, and education.

“It is our intention to continue ongoing political consultations held without any interruption in the last three years,” he said, while noting that the two countries’ foreign ministries had a “strong consultation mechanism” which provided a solid platform for dialogue and common understanding, enabling the two sides to coordinate their efforts.

During his three-day visit to Cyprus, Jaishankar will call on Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives.

He will also address the business and investment community of Cyprus, apart from an interaction with the Indian Diaspora.