'CRYPTIC' & CAUTIOUS?

Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides “expressed concern” over the conflicts going on in West Asia and Europe, and they both considered that “this is not an era of war”, and with Turkey deepening its ties with Pakistan, let's attempt to see how important PM Modi's Cyprus visit was in the current geopolitical context.

- Robin Roy

Incidentally, PM Modi's visit to Cyprus was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in over two decades and was being considered as a strategic signal to Turkey.

KNOWING THE REGION

An island in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Cyprus is located close to Turkey and Syria and despite being geographically located in Asia, the country (Cyprus) is a member of the European Union.

Even as the island country was independent in 1960, two major communities of Cyprus... the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots were involved in an uneasy power sharing which resulted in violence.

On July 20, 1974, violating all rules of global law, including the Charter of the United Nations, Turkey invaded Cyprus. Following the invasion and occupation of Turkish forces, about 162,000 Greek-Cypriots fled their homes and became refugees in their own land.

To make things worse, by the end of 1975, a vast majority of Turkish-Cypriots living in areas controlled by the legitimate government were forced to leave their homes thanks to coercive policies of Turkey to the Turkish-occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus.

INDIA'S CONNECT

A Ministry of External Affairs release on India-Cyprus ties said the country “remains one of India's dependable friends.” “It supports India's candidature as a permanent member of the expanded UN Security Council. It has also extended its full support for the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, within the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which helps India address its increasing energy needs and benefit its economic development,” the MEA document says.

However, Turkey has recently not just supported Pakistan during the conflict after Operation Sin-door... several drones Pakistan used against India were of Turkish origin.