India responds to Turkiye-Pakistan ties, unveils defence cooperation roadmap with Cyprus

New Delhi: India on Friday announced a roadmap for defence cooperation with Cyprus over the next five years – sending out a message to Türkiye, which often supported Pakistan in questioning the status of Jammu and Kashmir as a part of India.

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus in New Delhi, they agreed to elevate the ties between India and the island nation in the Mediterranean Sea to a strategic partnership.

“This Strategic Partnership between India and Cyprus will unlock capital for commerce by connecting the financial and services hubs of both countries. It will create new opportunities for Indian companies in Cyprus’s infrastructure, energy, and agriculture sectors, while also bringing fresh investment into India’s rapidly growing shipping and maritime sectors,” Modi said after meeting Christodoulides. The prime minister said that Cyprus, currently presiding over the Council of the European Union, was emerging as an important investment gateway between India and the whole of Europe.

India and the EU announced the conclusion of the negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement on January 27, and the agreement might be signed by the end of the current year.

Modi noted that defence and security cooperation was another important pillar of the India-Cyprus relationship. “We are pleased that military exchanges and training cooperation between our countries have expanded in recent years. Today, we also decided to further strengthen cooperation in cyber security, maritime security, and counterterrorism,” said the prime minister, adding that he and his counterpart set the target to double Cyprus’s investment in India over the next five years.

India reiterated its unwavering and consistent support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of the Republic of Cyprus, according to a joint statement issued after the meeting between the two leaders. The two sides called for “full respect of the relevant United Nations resolutions and International Law, so as not to undermine efforts towards a negotiated peaceful solution.”

Cyprus has been one of the regional adversaries of Türkiye, which not only supported Pakistan’s plea in favour of the “right to self-determination” of the Kashmiris but also refused to accept India’s sovereignty over J&K.

“We deeply value India's long-standing support for our efforts to reunify Cyprus, and I wanted to thank you for your steadfast support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Cyprus,” said Christodoulides.

Türkiye invaded Northern Cyprus in 1974 in response to a coup aimed at unifying the island with Greece. Türkiye did not withdraw its troops from Cyprus even after the internationally recognised government was reinstated with control over two-thirds of the island. The remaining one-third in the northern region of the island remained under a government remotely controlled by Türkiye.

The ‘Green Line’, a demilitarised buffer zone patrolled by the United Nations peacekeeping force, separates the Greek Cypriot (internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus) in the south and the Turkish Cypriot (recognised only by Türkiye) in the north of the island.

In response to Ankara-Islamabad bonhomie, India inked an MoU on defence cooperation with Cyprus in 2022 and followed it up with a Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme (BDCP) for 2025 on January 23, 2025.

Türkiye sent a warship and military cargo planes to Pakistan after the April 22, 2025, carnage in J&K escalated tension between the two South Asian neighbours.

Pakistan used Axisguard Songar drones made in Türkiye to target civilian and military installations in India during the cross-border flare-up between the two South Asian nations between May 7 and 10, 2025.

New Delhi called upon Türkiye to be mindful of the sensitivities of India and to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support for cross-border terrorism against India.

Modi and Christodoulides on Friday witnessed the signing of a pact on technical arrangement for the establishment of official coordination and cooperation on Search and Rescue (SAR) matters between the Larnaca Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Cyprus and the Ministry of Defence of India, and an MoU on establishing a Joint Working Group on counterterrorism. They also agreed on expanding cooperation in the maritime domain, including regular port calls by Indian Navy vessels in Cyprus and exploring opportunities for joint maritime training and exercises to enhance maritime domain awareness and regional security.