Limassol (Cyprus), June 16 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar met the Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Sunday (local time) on his arrival at the Larnaca International Airport in Limassol and said that he was confident that that “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Mediterranean nation will deepen our longstanding bilateral ties and the partnership between India and the European Union.

Taking to his official X account, EAM Jaishankar said: “Delighted to meet FM @ckombos of Cyprus on my arrival at Larnaca. Confident that PM @narendramodi’s visit to Cyprus will deepen our longstanding bilateral ties and the India-EU partnership.”

Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Cyprus, heralding the start of his three-nation tour, including Canada and Croatia.

The pictures of his arrival in Cyprus were shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his X account.

PM Modi was received and given a warm welcome at the airport by the Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides as well as Finance Minister Constantinos Kombos, reflecting the deep-rooted historic ties between the two nations.

The Cyprus President also took to X to welcome PM Modi, as he wrote: “Welcome to Cyprus Prime Minister Narendra Modi! Here, at the EU’s southeastern frontier and gateway of the Mediteranean A historic visit A new chapter in a strategic partnership that knows no limits We make a promise to advance, transform, prosper more. Together.”

PM Modi also note of the special gesture of Cyprus President and reciprocated on his social media handle, “Landed in Cyprus. My gratitude to the President of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides for the special gesture of welcoming me at the airport. This visit will add significant momentum to India-Cyprus relations, especially in areas like trade, investment and more.”

Notably, this is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus in over two decades. During the visit, the two leaders are set to take part in extensive discussions for deepening bilateral ties and also explore ways to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, security, and technology.

Prior to his departure for three-nation tour, PM Modi described Cyprus as “a close friend and an important partner in the Mediterranean region and the EU”.

He added that the visit was an opportunity to build on the historical friendship between the two nations and promote people-to-people exchanges.

Cyprus, a member of the European Union is set to assume the ‘rotating presidency’ of the EU, early next year. PM Modi’s visit is seen as part of India’s consistent diplomatic outreach to Europe.

After Cyprus visit, PM Modi will head to Canada to attend the G7 Summit and will then travel to Croatia for meetings with President Zoran Milanovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

–IANS

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