as Cyprus takes over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 January. Narendra Modi is expected to sign multi-level cooperation agreements between India and the Republic of Cyprus during his visit to the island on the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to the country in over two decades.

The official talks between President Nicos Christodoulides and the Indian Prime Minister will take place on Monday, when Narendra Modi will be officially received at the Presidential Palace. However, already after his reception at Larnaca airport on Sunday, Modi and Christodoulides will attend a meeting of businessmen from Cyprus and India in Limassol before sitting down to an informal working dinner. Modi's visit follows an invitation extended to him by Christodoulides and comes eight years after then President Nicos Anastasiades visited India. President Tassos Papadopoulos had also visited India in 2006, while the last time an Indian Prime Minister visited Cyprus was in 2002 with Atal Bihari Vazbayi.

Modi is coming to Cyprus before heading to Canada for the G7 summit. This is the Indian prime minister's first trip abroad since the Pakistan crisis and it is seen as particularly meaningful in view of Turkey's activities in the region, given Ankara's support for Islamabad.

Cyprus is already preparing to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (first half of 2026) and New Delhi and Nicosia are seeking to strengthen and possibly upgrade their already close relations, as India sees Cyprus as a "bridge" to the EU - perhaps even "rewarding" its supportive stance on the Kashmir issue. Conversely, India's developing relations with both Greece and Cyprus are not seen in a good light by Turkey, with reports in the Turkish press portraying the moves as negative for Ankara.

The discussions between the two delegations, apart from the Indo-European and Indo-Cypriot relationship, will also touch on the Indian strategic project of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC). (Euronews)