New Delhi, Oct 30 (IANS) Expressing gratitude to India for its steadfast position on the Cyprus issue, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos endorsed New Delhi’s stance that terrorism should be dealt with zero tolerance–extending not only to the terrorists, but also to those who support and finance them.

“We also have extended our full solidarity to India after the recent terrorist attacks, and we totally agree with the approach that there can be no other way of dealing with terrorism rather than zero tolerance, and that, of course, extends not only to the terrorists, but also to those who support and finance them. At the same time, I’m thankful for India’s consistent approach, principled approach, as regards the Cyprus problem,” Foreign Minister Kombos said in his opening remarks during a meeting with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar in New Delhi.

Kombos thanked EAM Jaishankar for the warm hospitality during his first-ever visit to India, noting that it was also the first ministerial visit from Cyprus in 14 years.

Speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Cyprus in June, he said, “The Prime Minister’s visit in Cyprus was the first after 22 years. So I think we are now picking up from the point where our predecessors had stopped, and we have a lot of work ahead of us, work that has been politically set out by the leadership after the declaration and the Joint Plan of Action. The joint action plan for the five years, there has been considerable progress.”

As Cyprus prepares to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the coming days, Kombos reaffirmed that Nicosia will continue to work towards further enhancing the EU-India relationship in the political sphere as well as advancing the free trade agreement currently under negotiation.

“And we believe this is a strategic choice for the European Union that needs to be fulfilled for the simple reason that it’s in the mutual interest of both the EU and India, and in all that Cyprus will be extending its steadfast support in all the efforts to achieve that very important goal. Conclusion, this is a relation that has very deep historical roots, but also, I believe it has a very long, bright future ahead of us,” the Foreign Minister of Cyprus stressed.

–IANS

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