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Foreign Minister of Cyprus, Constantinos Kombos, arrived in India on Wednesday on his first official visit. His visit would provide an opportunity to review progress in the implementation of the India-Cyprus Action Plan 2025-29.
In a post on X, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "A warm welcome to FM @ckombos of the Republic of Cyprus on his first official visit to India. An opportunity to review progress in implementation of India-Cyprus Action Plan 2025-29 and discuss the Comprehensive Partnership." https://x.com/MEAIndia/status/1983404927516078465 During his visit, the Cyprus Minister is scheduled to meet with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and deliver a lecture at Sapru House on Thursday, as per the MEA. Constantinos Kombos will depart from India on Friday. His visit to India comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited earlier in June this year. PM Modi's visit concluded with the adoption of a Joint Declaration outlining a roadmap for deepened strategic cooperation between the two nations, according to a press release issued by the Prime Minister's Office. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of Cyprus also released coordinated statements underscoring the breadth of this renewed partnership. The statement also highlighted both sides' shared commitment to strengthening EU-India relations. With Cyprus assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in early 2026, both sides pledged to work towards the timely conclusion of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement by the end of 2025, calling it a move of "significant economic and strategic potential". According to the release, Prime Minister Modi's visit -- the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus in over two decades -- was described as a "historic milestone" that "reaffirms the deep and enduring friendship between the two nations." The visit was seen as a celebration of a shared past and a "forward-looking partnership" rooted in strategic vision and mutual trust. The declaration noted that both leaders held wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, regional, and global issues, acknowledging growing cooperation in economic, technological, and people-to-people domains. Cyprus and India committed to furthering collaboration "as trusted and indispensable partners contributing to regional and global peace, prosperity, and stability." The joint declaration reaffirmed both sides' shared values - democracy, multilateralism, rule of law, and sustainable development - and their support for a rules-based international order grounded in the UN Charter and international law. (ANI)
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