Cyprus Prez to visit India next month; bilateral ties set to deepen, says envoy

India can expect a stronger presence in Europe through Cyprus, whose President Nikos Christodoulides will arrive in Mumbai next month, a visit which will boost bilateral ties, High Commissioner Evagoras Vryonides said on Monday. With President Christodoulidess visit, India can expect a stronger presence in Europe through Cyprus, Vryonides said.

India can expect a stronger presence in Europe through Cyprus, whose President Nikos Christodoulides will arrive in Mumbai next month, a visit which will boost bilateral ties, High Commissioner Evagoras Vryonides said on Monday. President Christodoulides will visit Mumbai on May 20 and then head to New Delhi on May 22, Vryonides, Cyprus's High Commissioner to India, said. He mentioned the Joint Action Plan signed between the two countries in June last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Cyprus. ''The Joint Action Plan has already begun to see implementation across several sectors, including tourism, education, financial services, IT personnel exchange and shipping as key areas of cooperation,'' he said. With President Christodoulides's visit, India can expect a stronger presence in Europe through Cyprus, Vryonides said. Christodoulides is scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Vice President and the External Affairs Minister, along with interactions with key entities in Mumbai, he said. The High Commissioner further said that financial cooperation will deepen with the expected establishment of a representative presence by Eurobank in Mumbai, and other banks, such as Alpha Bank and Bank of Cyprus, are also likely to join. He noted that financial instruments, including collaborations related to India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system, are expected to be signed, expressing optimism about making bilateral cooperation deeper and more meaningful. Vryonides was speaking on the sidelines of the strategic dialogue 'Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Strengthening EU-India Strategic and Economic Partnerships', held in Ahmedabad. The dialogue was hosted by Water & Shark, in partnership with the Europe India Centre for Business and Industry (EICBI). The event brought together diplomatic and business stakeholders to discuss how India's relationship with Europe is being shaped by trade, regulation, investment, technology and geopolitical change.