Cyprus–India relations are the

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. India maintains a High Commission in

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

. Cyprus maintains a High Commission in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. Both countries are members of the

Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an International organization, international association of member states of the Commonwealth of Nations, 56 member states, the vast majo ...

History

Stamp of India - 2006 - Colnect 158969 - India - Cyprus Joint Issue - Folk danses

India supported Cyprus during its struggle for independence from

British colonial rule The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts establish ...

. Diplomatic relations between Cyprus and India were established on 10 February 1962, two years after the former gained independence. The Indian military has participated in

United Nations peacekeeping Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role of the United Nations's Department of Peace Operations and an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is ...

operations in Cyprus on numerous occasions. Three Indian Generals have served as Commanders of the

United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

(UNFICYP), since its creation in 1964. A road in

Larnaca Larnaca, also spelled Larnaka, is a city on the southeast coast of Cyprus and the capital of the Larnaca District, district of the same name. With a district population of 155.000 in 2021, it is the third largest city in the country after Nicosi ...

is named after Maj. General

Kodandera Subayya Thimayya General Kodendera Subayya Thimayya (31 March 1906 – 18 December 1965) was the 3rd Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1957 to 1961 during the crucial years leading up to the conflict with China in 1962. Thimayya was the only India ...

who died in 1965, while serving as the UNFICYP Force Commander. In 1966, the Government of Cyprus issued a stamp commemorating Thimayya. Cyprus supports the India–United States Civil Nuclear Agreement, and also supports India within the

Nuclear Suppliers Group The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a multilateral export control regime and a group of nuclear supplier countries that seek to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of two sets of Guidelines for nuc ...

(NSG) and the

International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...

(IAEA). Prime Minister

Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian poet, writer and statesman who served as the prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months from 1998 ...

visited Cyprus in October 2002. During the visit, Cyprus declared its support for India's candidature as a permanent member on the UN Security Council. President

Pratibha Patil Pratibha Devisingh Patil (born 19 December 1934), also known as Pratibha Patil Shekhawat, is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the president of India from 2007 to 2012. She was the first woman to become the president of India. A m ...

visited the country in October 2009. President

Tassos Papadopoulos Efstathios "Tassos" Nikolaou Papadopoulos (; 7 January 1934 – 12 December 2008) was a Cypriot politician and barrister, who served as President of Cyprus from 2003 to 2008. An experienced member of the Makarios III’s cabinet, Papadopo ...

visited India in April 2006. Former First of Lady of Cyprus, Lila Erulkar, the wife of President

Glafcos Clerides Glafcos Ioannou Clerides (; 24 April 1919 – 15 November 2013) was a Cypriot statesman, who served as President of Cyprus in 1974 and from 1993 to 2003. A barrister and former Royal Air Force pilot, Clerides played an important role in the ...

, was born in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

and was of

Indian Jewish The history of the Jews in India dates back to ancient history, antiquity. Her father, Dr Abraham Erulkar, was

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

's personal

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in September 1946.^{/sup> The street in Nicosia on which the High Commission of India is located is named after Indira Gandhi. In India, an avenue in New Delhi is named after Archbishop Makarios III.

Economic relations

Bilateral trade between Cyprus and India totaled EUR 76.5 million in 2015. Cyprus imported 64.5 million and exported 11.1 million worth goods to India. Both countries traded steel and iron with each other.

Between April 2000 and September 2015, Cyprus invested a cumulative total of $8.328 billion making it the eighth largest FDI investor in India. Most of the investments are in the construction and real estate industries.

The Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Cyprus and India was revised in 2016.

Indians in Cyprus

As of July 2015, around 2,700 Indian citizens reside in Cyprus. More than of half of them are employed as cosmetics industry, while the other common professions are computer engineers, software programmers and the shipping industry. Approximately 900 Indian students were enrolled at private colleges in Cyprus in 2010–11, but this number reduced to less than 100 by 2015, as Indian students were unable to find part-time jobs owing to the financial crisis in Cyprus.

Recent developments

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi

Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
met the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades

Nicos Anastasiades ( ; born 27 September 1946) is a Cypriot politician and businessperson, who served as the seventh president of Cyprus from 2013 to 2023. Previously, he was the leader of Democratic Rally between 1997 and 2013 and served as Me ...
in New York. There India and Cyprus agreed to enhance the trade as well as people to people relations, for the benefit of the citizens of both the countries.

India has reassured its support to Cyprus with respect to its territorial integrity.

In June 2025, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Cyprus

Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, marking the first such visit in over two decades. During the visit, he was conferred the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III, Cyprus’s highest civilian honour, which he dedicated to the India–Cyprus friendship.

Modi highlighted the award as a tribute to the people of India and a symbol of shared values such as Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam () is a Sanskrit phrase found in Hindu texts such as the Maha Upanishad, meaning, "the world is one family".
Translation
The phrase () consists of: ; (); and ().
History
:अयं निजः परो वेति � ...
. His meetings with President Nikos Christodoulides

Nikos Christodoulides (; born 6 December 1973) is a Cypriot politician, diplomat, and academic who has served as the 8th President of Cyprus since 2023. He previously served as Government Spokesman from 2014 to 2018 and List of Ministers of Fore ...
and Cypriot business leaders underscored growing economic ties, including the formation of the India

India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
-Cyprus

Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
-Greece

Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
Business and Investment Council and a collaboration between the Cyprus Stock Exchange
The Cyprus Stock Exchange or CSE (, is a stock exchange located in Cyprus. It is a public-sector entity under the direct control of the Cypriot government.
History
CSE was established under the Cyprus Securities and Stock Exchange Law which provid ...
and India’s NSE in GIFT City.

The visit reaffirmed a strengthening partnership based on mutual respect, democratic values, and increasing strategic and economic cooperation.

See also

* Foreign relations of Cyprus

Cyprus is a member of the United Nations along with most of its agencies as well as the Commonwealth of Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Council of Europe. In addition, the country has signed the General Agreement on Ta ...

* Foreign relations of India

India, officially the Republic of India, has full diplomatic relations with 201 states, including Palestine, the Holy See, and Niue. The Ministry of External Affairs (India), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is the government agency resp ...

References

External links

High Commission of Cyprus in New DelhiHigh Commission of India in NicosiaText of Cultural Co-operation Agreement

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyprus-India relations
India

India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Bilateral relations of India
Cyprus and the Commonwealth of Nations
India and the Commonwealth of Nations}