As West Asia burns, Modi says peace is the cry of humanity; Stands by Cyprus on dispute with Turkiye

NEW DELHI: With Israel and Iran teetering on the brink of a full-blown war, PM Narendra Modi said Monday that resolving issues through dialogue and restoring stability is the cry of humanity. Speaking alongside Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia, Modi reiterated his message that this isn’t the era of war.Modi’s visit to Cyprus – the first by any Indian PM in 23 years – saw the 2 sides discussing efforts to scale up cooperation in defence, security, connectivity with focus on IMEEC, with the Indian PM strongly backing sovereignty and territorial integrity of the eastern Mediterranean country that is not recognised by Turkiye, a Pakistan ally.“We both have expressed concern about the ongoing conflicts in West Asia and Europe. Their negative impact is not limited to that region alone. We both believe that this is not the era of war,” said Modi after his talks with the Cypriot president. Modi had expressed India’s concerns about the situation in West Asia, stressing the need for an early restoration of peace, in a conversation last week with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. The region remains crucial for India’s energy and diaspora interests.Modi thanked Cyprus for its continued support to India's fight against cross-border terrorism and announced a new mechanism for real-time information exchange to counter terrorism, drug and arms smuggling. The president reiterated Cyprus’ strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terrorist attack, backing India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.In a show of solidarity with Cyprus, Modi visited the Green Line – a UN-controlled buffer zone that separates Northern Cyprus, an area occupied by Turkish forces in 1974, from the Republic of Cyprus – along with Christodoulides. This is significant in the context of Turkiye’s continued support to Pakistan that saw Ankara helping Islamabad militarily during the recent India-Pakistan conflict. Turkish president Recep Erdogan himself later said that Turkiye will continue to stand by Pakistan though “good times and bad”.Modi also reiterated India’s traditional support for Cyprus’s unity and for a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus Question based on UN Security Council resolutions and international law. Several of these resolutions call for withdrawal of Turkish forces from the island of Cyprus.“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 emphasized the need to avoid unilateral actions as essential for creating a conducive environment for the resumption of meaningful negotiations,” said a joint statement.Modi said that the 2 sides will prepare a roadmap to give a strategic direction to the partnership for the next 5 years.“To further strengthen defence and security cooperation, emphasis will be laid on defence industry under the bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme. A separate dialogue will be initiated on cyber and maritime security,” said the PM, while thanking Cyprus for its support to India for a permanent seat in the Security Council.The leaders also discussed increasing connectivity with the Mediterranean region. “We agree that the India, Middle East, Europe Economic Corridor (IMEEC) will pave the way for peace and prosperity in the region,” said Modi, underlining the fact that both countries respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity.On the issue of terrorism, both sides reiterated in a joint statement their zero-tolerance approach to terrorism, rejecting any justification for such acts, under any circumstances. “They emphasized that those responsible for the attacks should be held accountable,” said the statement, while condemning the Pahalgam attack.