Diaspora welcomes PM on maiden Cyprus trip
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday received a warm welcome from the Indian diaspora in Limassol as he arrived in Cyprus, the first stop of his three-nation tour.
Members of the 12,000-strong Indian community greeted the Prime Minister with bouquets outside his hotel. This marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Mediterranean nation in two decades.
Modi, accompanied by a delegation of around 100 officials, is visiting Cyprus at the invitation of President Nikos Christodoulides. Earlier in the day, he was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Larnaca International Airport by the President.
Later in the day, the PM participated in a business roundtable in Nicosia with Christodoulides and called for strengthening bilateral cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and defence.
The PM addressed business leaders from India and Cyprus at the meeting.
“Further cementing investment, technology and business linkages,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X.
MoUs signed
The NSE International Exchange, Gift City, has signed a MoU with Cyprus Stock Exchange to enable cross-border flows. This is the first-of-its-kind arrangement between Europe and Gift City, India. The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) signed a MoU with Eurobank of Cyprus to introduce UPI services in Cyprus for cross-border transactions. BAO Capital Partners, a Cyprus-based Alternative Investment Fund Manager, has crossed a significant milestone — it has secured commitments exceeding $100 million for its flagship fund focused on the Indian growth story. The fund will deploy capital not only in public Indian equities, but also in emerging technologies that support the ‘Make in India’ initiative, with a special focus on AgroTech, clean logistics and drone applications — sectors that will shape rural productivity and sustainable development.
“The leaders called for strengthening economic ties in the fields of trade, investment, financial services, fintech, startup, innovation, AI, IT, logistics, defence, connectivity, shipping and mobility,” he added.
During his stay, Modi will hold bilateral talks with Christodoulides and address a gathering of business leaders in Limassol.
Delegation-level talks between the two sides are scheduled for Monday. Key agenda items include expanding cooperation in trade and investment, IT and innovation, defence, shipping, renewable energy and people-to-people ties.
Bilateral trade has grown steadily, with Indian exports to Cyprus, including pharmaceuticals, textiles, ceramic products, iron and steel, machinery and chemicals. In return, Cyprus exports pharmaceuticals, beverages and manufactured goods to India.
Cyprus ranks among the top 10 foreign investors in India.
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