Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is scheduled to visit Cyprus on Wednesday to meet with his Cypriot counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides, where they will discuss Turkey’s “provocative actions.”
Since 2018, Greece and Cyprus have been concerned about Turkey’s natural gas drilling activities in the Mediterranean waters. The meeting is a likely attempt by Cyprus to include India in its plan to initiate reciprocal joint efforts for energy exploration, which also involves Israel, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, India’s closeness with Cyprus has been driven by Turkey’s growing support for Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has criticised India’s actions in the region in several international and bilateral discussions.
Cyprus foreign ministry says "Turkey's provocative actions" will be discussed with India's EAM Jaishankar during his visit to the country on Thursday: https://t.co/8hrJK5EL5y pic.twitter.com/PtzG2uV2uR
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) December 28, 2022
In October, a Nordic Monitor report noted that Turkey secretly helped Pakistan set up a “cyber army” to shape public opinion against India.
In a sharp retort to Turkey’s increased closeness with Pakistan, India has abandoned its neutral position on Ankara’s conflict with Athens and Nicosia. Soon after Turkey raised the Jammu and Kashmir issue in the United Nations, Jaishankar demanded that all countries involved must respect the UN resolutions on the Cyprus issue.
India further supported Cyprus’s opposition to Turkey’s decision to reopen the disputed ghost town of Varosha in July. Cypriot officials called the move “illegal and unacceptable,” saying that it was a Turkish bid to annex the town and stall peace efforts.
In this regard, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that New Delhi was “deeply concerned” about Turkey’s “unilateral announcements.” Similarly, India’s UN envoy TS Tirumurti noted that all involved countries should base their actions on a “Cypriot-led, Cypriot-owned process on ‘bi-zonal bi-communal federation.”
India and Cyprus have a special, time-tested friendship. We share similar perspectives on many regional & global issues. Our bilateral cooperation is going from strength to strength. pic.twitter.com/Oy1Ts0kB02
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) June 23, 2022
According to a Cypriot government release, the foreign ministers will sign an agreement to finalise Cyprus’s inclusion in the International Solar Alliance. The pair will further sign a memorandum of understanding to expand defence and military ties, along with a statement of intent to begin negotiations on an agreement on immigration and mobility.
The two foreign ministers will additionally discuss other regional and international issues of mutual concern.
On Friday, the pair will attend the India-Cyprus business forum in Limassol and address business leaders from both countries.
Following the Cyprus meetings, Jaishankar will visit Austria on Saturday to meet with Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Alexander Schallenberg and Chancellor Karl Nehammer. During his four-day trip in Austria, he will also meet with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský, and Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer.
Jaishankar’s trip will mark the first foreign minister-level visit from an Indian official to Austria in 27 years.