When Prime Minister Narendra Modi touched down in Cyprus after a 23-year diplomatic hiatus, the headlines were understandably dominated by the larger narrative of global geopolitics—strategic realignments, energy corridors, and a new Mediterranean order. But buried beneath these sweeping power equations is a treasure trove of civilisational memories, cultural intersections, and symbolic gestures that make the Indo-Cypriot relationship far more compelling than a typical transactional bilateral engagement.
Did you know that the former First Lady of Cyprus, Lila Erulkar, was born in Ahmedabad (otherwise earlier known as Karnavati) and was of Indian Jewish descent? Her father, Dr. Abraham Erulkar, served as Mahatma Gandhi’s personal physician during his critical years in London in 1946, when the soul of India’s independence movement was finding its final articulation. These are not trivial anecdotes—they are narrative bridges that link the people and histories of two distant yet spiritually resonant civilisations. Lila Erulkar’s story, in many ways, encapsulates the remarkable intimacy that Bharat and Cyprus share—an affinity that transcends geography and finds resonance in shared values, legacies of anti-colonial struggle, and familial links grounded in mutual respect.
Such historical intimacy is not just buried in archives—it is etched in the public spaces of both nations. The Indian High Commission in Nicosia is located on a street named after Indira Gandhi. On the other side of the globe, in the heart of New Delhi, stands an avenue named after Archbishop Makarios III, the philosopher-President who led Cyprus to independence. These reciprocal namings are not mere diplomatic courtesies; they are tributes to the character and ideals both countries have upheld through decades of political evolution.
These symbolic acknowledgments are not to be dismissed as ceremonial. They reveal a deeper narrative—of two nations that remember their friends, honour their moral allies, and institutionalise goodwill through the permanence of street signs. In today’s world, where transactional alliances dominate and values are often compromised for short-term gain, the Bharat-Cypriot relationship stands apart as a model of long-term civilisational diplomacy.
Strategic Geography and the Coded Message to Ankara
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Cyprus is not only a renewal of friendship—it is a well-timed signal in the language of global strategy. Turkey, under President Erdoğan, has been steadily increasing its confrontational posture against Bharat. From interfering in India’s internal matters like Kashmir to offering direct military support to Pakistan—including the provision of drones and battlefield assets during Bharat’s Operation Sindoor—Ankara’s provocations have crossed well-defined diplomatic lines.
In this context, Modi’s engagement with Cyprus, a country whose very north remains under illegal Turkish occupation since 1974, is diplomatically loaded. It is a signal that Bharat will not remain a passive observer but will strategically align itself with Turkey’s regional adversaries—Cyprus, Greece, and Israel—to create a zone of balance and mutual respect. By showing up in Nicosia, Bharat is saying: we see, we remember, and we will respond—not with belligerence but with bandwidth, vision, and influence.
Cyprus’s unwavering support for Bharat’s sovereignty, particularly on the Kashmir issue, and its vocal backing of India’s candidacy for a permanent seat at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), further reinforce the sense of principled alignment. Both nations understand the costs of illegal occupation, and this shared moral compass has become a cornerstone of their diplomatic partnership.
IMEC: Cyprus as the Key Junction in a New Civilisational Corridor
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is no ordinary infrastructure project—it is an epochal realignment of global trade and influence, one that offers an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Cyprus is poised to play a vital role in this unfolding vision. As a Mediterranean hub, it offers Bharat access not only to Europe but also to the intellectual and spiritual legacy of ancient civilisations that once flourished around the Mediterranean basin.
A forthcoming energy agreement between Israel and Cyprus will lay an undersea electric cable linking their grids—part of a broader framework to connect India to Europe via green energy, digital highways, and maritime trade. Israeli PM Netanyahu, in his discussion with his Cypriot counterpart, called the project “revolutionary,” highlighting how it redefines energy security and strategic autonomy for both East and West. PM Modi, too, has embraced this vision with characteristic clarity, positioning Bharat not merely as a participant, but as a pivotal driver of this economic reordering.
The IMEC, with Cyprus as a nodal point, will create a seamless transcontinental value chain—from Indian ports to Middle Eastern energy hubs, onward to Cyprus, and finally to mainland Europe. In a world where choke points and energy blackmail define geopolitical equations, such a corridor is nothing short of a civilisational artery—uniting ancient lands in a new era of cooperation.
The EU Presidency and Bharat’s Voice in Europe
Cyprus’s upcoming presidency of the European Union in 2026 gives New Delhi a unique opportunity to amplify its voice in European affairs. As a smaller yet value-driven EU member, Cyprus can serve as a diplomatic amplifier for Bharat’s positions on critical issues such as digital sovereignty, climate change, Indo-Pacific strategy, counter-terrorism frameworks, and multilateral reforms.
In the maze of European politics—often dominated by larger, more ambivalent powers—Cyprus offers clarity, consistency, and goodwill toward India. It is already exploring formal participation in IMEC and has shown openness to Indo-European technology partnerships, especially in areas like clean energy, cybersecurity, and climate innovation.
With Cyprus at the helm of the EU, Bharat could gain an inside track to shape long-term policy narratives in Brussels and beyond. This becomes especially significant as the global South voices its demand for a more inclusive and reformed global governance system—one that respects diversity, sovereignty, and civilisational plurality.
A Gesture of Honour, and a Glimpse of Legacy
As an acknowledgment of his role in fostering this deep and multifaceted relationship, Prime Minister Modi was conferred the Order of Makarios III—the highest civilian honour of Cyprus, named after its founding President. This isn’t just an award; it is a torch of trust, passed from one civilisation to another.
That the honour comes at a time when India is leading the G20, pioneering new economic corridors, and reimagining South-South cooperation, makes it especially significant. It reflects how small, strategically located nations like Cyprus are embracing Bharat’s vision of a just, multipolar world—not out of compulsion, but conviction.
And within this tapestry, figures like Lila Erulkar and Dr. Abraham Erulkar become cultural icons—early nodes in a relationship that has since matured into something far greater than bilateral diplomacy. They are reminders that history matters—and that relationships built on respect, shared memory, and principled alignment endure beyond regimes and election cycles.
Bharat-Cypriot Friendship as a Beacon of Civilisational Diplomacy
As the world continues to fracture into blocs, and democracies come under ideological and economic pressures, Bharat’s approach remains rooted in Dharma—a principle-driven foreign policy that believes in consensus, memory, and moral leadership. In this vision, Cyprus is not just a partner of the present; it is a bridge to the kind of global future Bharat seeks to help build.
The Bharat-Cypriot relationship offers an antidote to the cynicism that often surrounds international affairs. It is based on real people, like Gandhi’s physician and Cyprus’s Indian-origin First Lady. It manifests in symbolic acts like street names and civilian honours. It is tested in turbulent times, like Turkish incursions and global polarisation. And it is now being written into the future—through cables under the sea, energy corridors through deserts, and spiritual alignment across continents.
In this story of strategy and symbolism, Cyprus is not a footnote. It is a fulcrum. And for Bharat, rediscovering old friendships like these is not a return to nostalgia—it is a march toward a more meaningful, multipolar, and moral world order.
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