New Delhi [India], May 22 (ANI): In a landmark visit signalling a new era of geopolitical alignment, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Friday hailed the booming relationship between India and the European Union, while forcefully backing the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) as a 'visionary initiative.'

Speaking at a joint press statement alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, President Christodoulides, whose country currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, emphasised that Cyprus is uniquely positioned to act as a 'trusted, stable, reliable bridge' between New Delhi and Brussels.

The high-profile visit yielded immediate strategic results, with Prime Minister Modi announcing the formal elevation of India-Cyprus relations to a Strategic Partnership.

President Christodoulides noted that his visit comes at a crucial juncture where both bilateral and EU-India ties have made 'leaps of progress,' particularly following a milestone Free Trade Agreement signed between India and the EU earlier this year. The agreement effectively created one of the world's largest free trade zones, encompassing a market of two billion people.

'These paths cross at a juncture where both our bilateral relations and the European Union-India relations have made leaps of progress over the last year. And we are here to put more building blocks to these two partnerships', he said.

The Cypriot President underlined that in times of growing geopolitical uncertainty, the partnership between the European Union and India must become even stronger because the relationship is driven beyond economics.

'It is evolving at a fast pace into a broader, comprehensive strategic partnership grounded in shared interests, shared responsibilities, and a common commitment to stability, resilience, and prosperity. Indeed, Europe and India have every reason to deepen their cooperation further on security, on trade, on technology, innovation, and connectivity. Because together, the European Union and India, the world's largest democracy, can play a defining role not only for our regions but also for global stability and prosperity.'

He recalled the milestone Free Trade Agreement inked between India and the EU earlier this year, which resulted in creating one of the world's largest free trade zones and a market of 2 billion people.

'The security and defence partnership and the joint comprehensive strategic agenda send a clear message, a message of confidence, ambition, and a deeper cooperation across trade, security, technology, and global governance. And as the President of the Commission very correctly stated, this is a tale of two giants who choose partnership in a win-win fashion. Because cooperation between the world's two largest economies and democracies is the best answer to the global challenges we face, it's the best investment for our people', he said.

He highlighted that Cyprus is uniquely positioned to serve as a trusted, stable, reliable bridge between India and Europe.

'We have continued conversations with the Prime Minister about regional connectivity initiatives, including the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. I consider this a visionary initiative reflecting the growing importance of trusted interconnection between the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe. And Cyprus, located at the crossroads of three continents and the gateway to Europe, stands ready to contribute actively to this shared vision, a vision of connectivity, a vision of openness, a vision of partnership. And this is why, upon the initiative of Cyprus, we have formed the 'Friends of IMEC' group, a group that brings together signatories and interested EU member states to advance connectivity, stability, and economic cooperation across our wider region', he said.

Earlier, while at the Hyderabad House, the Cypriot President also clicked a selfie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Also speaking at the joint statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the elevation of India-Cyprus relations to Strategic Partnership, stating that it will infuse new ambition and momentum into the relations between the two countries. PM Modi highlighted the deep bond between both countries, noting that the investment from Cyprus has nearly doubled over the past decade.

India and Cyprus also exchanged several MoUs during the visit of President Nikos Christodoulides.

The exchange of MoUs reflects the growing multifaceted bilateral cooperation as a part of the India-Cyprus strategic partnership.

With both nations looking to mark 65 years of diplomatic relations in 2027, officials have described this state visit as a crucial step in building on the growing momentum of the bilateral partnership and strengthening cooperation within the broader India-European Union framework. (ANI)