Cyprus: In a ‘message’ to Turkiye, PM Modi gets clicked next to disputed area

Virendra Pandit

New Delhi: In what is being viewed as a ‘subtle message’ to the pro-Pakistan Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi was clicked with Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in the backdrop of a Turkish-controlled disputed territory, the media reported on Monday.

PM Modi toured the capital city of Nicosia, which remains divided, and was photographed against the backdrop of the flag of the Turkish-controlled north.

The gesture comes after Turkey’s continuing support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and Erdogan’s repeated remarks on Kashmir, which India has strongly opposed.

India strongly backed Cyprus’s “independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity” during PM Modi’s visit on Monday — a move seen as a clear message to Turkey, which claims part of the island nation, a gateway to Europe.

Cyprus, a neighbour and rival of Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean, has been divided since 1974 when Ankara’s forces invaded the island. The northern part of Cyprus is under Turkish control and is recognised only by Ankara as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). The rest of the international community — including India — recognises the Republic of Cyprus and supports its sovereignty over the entire island.

PM Modi visited the Green Line, which is a UN-controlled, 180-kilometre-long demilitarised buffer zone that separates the two parts of Cyprus. The Green Line is patrolled by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) to prevent any possible flare-up, and includes abandoned homes, buildings, and roads.

PM Modi’s trip to Cyprus, a European Union (EU) member, en route to the upcoming G7 Summit in Canada, came against the backdrop of rising anti-Turkey sentiment in India. Under Erdogan, Turkey deepened military ties with its Islamist ally Pakistan — including during the four-day bilateral conflict sparked by the April 22 terror attack at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.

Erdogan has also repeatedly sought to internationalise the Kashmir issue, raising it at global forums including the United Nations, despite India’s firm stance that Kashmir is a bilateral matter between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Earlier in the day, a joint statement by India and Cyprus said they “expressed their strong commitment to the resumption of UN-facilitated efforts to achieve a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Cyprus Question on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, in accordance with the agreed UN framework and the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions.”

“India reiterated its unwavering and consistent support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity of the Republic of Cyprus. In this regard, both sides emphasised the need to avoid unilateral actions as essential for creating a conducive environment for the resumption of meaningful negotiations,” it added.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides, who conferred on PM Modi Nicosia’s highest civilian award, “The Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III,” said his country respects India’s right to respond to protect its people. India has maintained at global forums that it was compelled to launch Operation Sindoor against terror camps in Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack on April 22.

The so-called TRNC refers to the self-declared state in the northern part of the island of Cyprus. This Turkish control stemmed from Ankara’s military intervention in 1974 in response to a coup in Cyprus that was backed by the Greek military junta.

In 1983, the Turkish-held region unilaterally declared independence as the TRNC. However, it is recognised only by Turkey. No other country or international body — including the United Nations and the European Union — recognises it as a sovereign state. The international community continues to view it as part of the Republic of Cyprus, the legitimate government of the entire island.

The island remains divided along the Green Line, a UN-patrolled buffer zone that separates the Greek Cypriot-administered south from the Turkish-controlled north, which gets financial, political, and military support from Ankara.