Jaishankar Meets Cyprus President, Discusses West Asia

Nicosia, May 28 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and held wide-ranging talks on bilateral ties and the West Asia conflict.

"Delighted to call on President @Christodulides of the Republic of Cyprus today. Conveyed warm greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister @narendramodi," Jaishankar said in a social media post.

"The recent State Visit saw significant outcomes, taking our partnership to its next phase. Assured the President of (a) strong follow up. Discussed the evolving situation in West Asia/Middle East, as also India's interests in the Mediterranean." the minister said.


Christodoulides came to India for a three-day visit roughly a week ago. During the visit, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following which the two sides signed six agreements for deeper cooperation in areas of innovation, technology, education and culture, besides agreeing to soon conclude a comprehensive partnership on migration and mobility.

Jaishankar landed in Cyprus on Wednesday to participate in an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers - popularly called the Gymnich - amid the West Asia conflict and other geopolitical issues concerning Europe and the wider region. These meetings are held periodically to discuss major geo-economic challenges, security and strategic matters.

The Gymnich meeting was held on Thursday. In the sidelines of the Gymnich meeting, Jaishankar held quick meetings with his counterparts from the Netherlands, Poland, France, Spain, Slovakia and Estonia, and Poland's Deputy Prime Minister Radosław Sikorski. Hours after the Gymnich meeting, Jaishankar met President Christodoulides.