Nicos Anastasiades, the President of Cyprus was on an official visit to India from 25-30 April 2017. He arrived in Mumbai on April 25, 2017. During his stay in Mumbai, he met Vidyasagar Rao – Governor of Maharashtra. He also gave a keynote address at a Business Forum.
- In New Delhi, Nicos Anastasiades was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. He also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat and described him as a “spiritual leader of Cyprus and inspiration for its freedom struggle”.
- On April 28, 2017 Mr. Anastasiades conferred the Grand Collar of the Order of Makarios III (Cyprus’s highest civilian honour) on President Pranab Mukherjee.
- He also held delegation level talks with Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
India and Cyprus signed following 4 agreements:
- Executive programme on culture, education and scientific cooperation for the period 2017-2020. This agreement was exchanged between Indian External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj and Cyprus Finance Minister, Harris Georgiades.
- A work plan under a programme of cooperation in agriculture for the period 2017-2018.
- Cooperation in the area of merchant shipping.
- Agreement to boost air services between the two countries. This agreement was
exchanged between Indian Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel and Cyprus Minister of Transport and Communications, Marios Demetriades.
exchanged between Indian Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel and Cyprus Minister of Transport and Communications, Marios Demetriades.Officials have mentioned that there is also scope for cooperation in sectors like pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, tourism and film production.
India-Cyprus Economic Ties:
Cyprus is the 8th largest foreign investor in India. Cumulative foreign direct investment (FDI) from Cyprus stands at USD 8.5 billion. The investments have been made in diversified areas such as auto manufacturing, real estate, construction, stock exchanges, shipping and logistics.
Quick Facts about Cyprus:
Republic of Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean and the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean.
- Capital: Nicosia
- Currency: Euro
- Official Languages: Greek, Turkish
