Relations between India and Cyprus have been traditionally very close and friendly. Archbishop Makarios had the highest respect for Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and was deeply appreciative of the support rendered by India to the struggle of Cyprus against British colonial rule. India has consistently supported a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus problem in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. India supports the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Cyprus and respects the democratic choice exercised by the people of Cyprus in the April 2004 referendum. India welcomes the renewed talks between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities under the ‘good offices mission’ of the U.N. Secretary General, to resolve the Cyprus problem. By April 2010, around 71 rounds of direct talks had taken place between the leaders of the two communities on the island to solve the Cyprus problem. After the elections in April 2010 in Northern Cyprus, Mr. Dervis Erglu emerged the new leader. President of the Republic of Cyprus and the leader of the Turkish Cypriots have held 64 rounds of talks on the Cyprus issue so far. On the invitation of UNSG, five meetings were also held on 18 th November, 2010 in New York, 26 th January and 7 th July 2011 in Geneva, 30 th & 31 st October 2011 and 23 rd & 24 th January 2012 in New York. (Greentree). There is cautious optimism prevailing in this regard.
Cyprus too has supported India on many issues and remains one of India's dependable friends. The warmth of these relations has been kept alive by high level visits from both sides. All Cypriot Presidents, except the present incumbent, have visited India. The last highest level visit from India was that of President Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil in October 2009. The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Antonis Paschalldes visited India in October 2010. Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou visited India from 17 to 19 April 2011 and held detailed discussions with the Vice President, External Affairs Minister and other dignitaries.
COMMERCIAL AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS:
Economic and commercial relations with Cyprus have grown in the recent years. However, the two-way trade is still very small despite a manifold increase from US$ 18.74 million in 1996-97 to US$ 62.77 million in 2010-11 (M/Commerce, GOI). Indian companies, notably BHEL, PEC, Tata Projects Ltd., Bharati Shipyard Private Ltd and Tata Exports Ltd, Reliance Globalcom have been participating in various Cyprus projects from time to time. Altogether, trade and investment flows and the scale of economic interactions are still not commensurate with the excellent political relations and the potential of the two economies.
MAJOR CYPRUS EXPORTS:
Machinery & Mechanical Appliances, Copper & Articles thereof, Aluminum & Articles thereof, Pulp of Wood/Other Fibrous Cellulosic Mat., Electrical Machinery, Ammunition, optical plastic, etc. 2
MAJOR INDIAN EXPORTS:
Organic Chemicals, Iron & Steel, Mineral, Fuels, Oils & Product of their Distillation, Crustaceans, Molluscs, Sesame Seeds, Edible Fruit & Nuts, Boilers, Electrical Equipment, Machinery & Mechanical Appliances, Furniture and Articles of Leather.
IMPORTANT BILATERAL TREATIES AND AGREEMENTS :
(1) Agreement on Economic, Trade, Scientific, Technical and Industrial Cooperation - April 1989. (2) Air Services Agreement- December 2000(under review). (3) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Science and Technology- October 2002. (4) MOU on Information Technology and Services - October 2002. (5) Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement signed in June 1994 (under review). (6) Agreement for Cooperation in the field of Tourism - November 1996. An additional MOU on cooperation in Tourism between the two countries is under consideration. (7) Agreement for the Mutual Promotion and the Protection of Investments – April 2002. (8) Agreement on Cooperation in the field of Posts and Telecommunications - October 2002. (9) Agreement in the fields of Public Health and Medical Sciences - October 2002. (10) Programme for Cultural, Educational and Scientific Cooperation between the two countries for 2007-2010 signed in May 2007 during External Affairs Minister's visit to Cyprus. A new Executive Programme (EP) on Cultural, Educational and Scientific Cooperation for the period 2011-14 is under consideration. (11) Agreement on Combating Terrorism and Illegal Trafficking of Drugs and Organised Crime signed on 25/05/07 during External Affairs Minister's visit to Cyprus. (12) Social Security Agreement (under discussion) (13) An MOU on cooperation in areas of environment and a draft Work Plan under Programme of Cooperation in the field of agriculture is under discussion.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COOPERATION
In order to facilitate cooperation in Science & Technology, with the possibility of commercial application in this field, an MOU was signed during Prime Minister, Shri Vajpayee's visit to Cyprus on 7-9 October, 2002. MOU also provides for Joint Research and Development Projects and Joint Ventures in Science & Technology. The first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Science & Technology was held in New Delhi in November, 2005, in which Medical Biotechnology, Bio-informatics, Agricultural Research, Entrepreneurship Development/Business Incubators and Environmental 3
Sciences were identified as areas of mutual interest. Of late, Cyprus has also shown interest in cooperation in Renewable Energy Resources.
CULTURAL TROUPES:
The new programme for culture, education and scientific cooperation for the years 2007-2010 was signed during EAM's visit to Cyprus in May, 2007. A joint issue of postage stamps was released on 10th April, 2006 under the agreement between India and Cyprus in the field of Posts and Electronic Communications signed in October 2002. An exhibition of Indian contemporary art was organised in November/December 2005 in Nicosia. Two festivals of Bollywood films were held in April and October 2007. Another festival of Indian films, including regional cinema, was held successfully in Nicosia in October, 2008. A two-member team of archaeologists from Archaeological Survey of India visited Cyprus in March 2010 to study archaeological sites in Cyprus. A 5-member music group led by Ms Sukanya Ramgopal visited Cyprus from 6th to 11th June, 2010.
INDIAN COMMUNITY IN CYPRUS :
The total number of Indians living in Cyprus is estimated at 4000 compared to mere a few hundreds a decade or so ago. Of these, over 150 are software professionals. There are also around 1200 students. Among the rest are a few executives, mainly in the shipping sector, businessmen and a sizeable number of farm and house workers, etc.
February 2012