The Republic of Cyprus (RoC) and India have shared a relationship built on friendship, mutual respect, and close cooperation since the formal establishment of diplomatic relations. Over the past six decades, the relationship has matured into one that is multifaceted and increasingly substantive, spanning trade, investment, culture, technology, defence, and security. India has long supported Spanning naval exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean, structured defence industry outreach, and an emerging partnership in space technology, the relationship between Cyprus and India has entered a distinctly new phase.
Defence and Military Cooperation
The most consequential institutional development in Cyprus–India defence relations was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence and Military Cooperation in December 2022, during the official visit of External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S. Jaishankar to Nicosia. The MoU established a formal framework for structured defence and military engagement between the two countries and provided the institutional foundation upon which subsequent cooperation has been built.
Building upon the MoU, a Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme (BDCP) for 2025 was signed in Nicosia in January 2025. The BDCP 2025 outlined a range of specific activities to be carried out in both Cyprus and India over the course of the year, including the convening of a Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on Defence Cooperation. The programme effectively operationalised the commitments contained in the 2022 MoU, converting broad intentions into concrete, time-bound activities. A second BDCP, for the year 2026 was signed in Nicosia in February 2026, demonstrating the sustained commitment of both governments to maintaining the programme’s momentum and expanding the scope of bilateral defence activities. The successive BDCPs represent a structured, rolling mechanism that institutionalises defence cooperation in a manner that is both practical and progressive.
The accreditation of the Indian Defence Attaché (based at the Embassy of India in Cairo) to Cyprus in September 2024 further formalised the defence relationship, providing a dedicated channel of communication and liaison between the defence establishments of the two countries.
Naval and Maritime Cooperation
One of the most resonant developments in Cyprus–India defence cooperation has been the deepening of naval engagement. In September 2025, INS Trikand, a state-of-the-art Talwar-class guided missile frigate of the Indian Navy, made a port call at Limassol Port in Cyprus, remaining for four days from 21 to 24 September 2025. The visit marked a significant milestone in the defence relationship and reflected the deepening of bilateral friendship and the strengthening of maritime bonds.
Importantly, INS Trikand conducted a PASSEX (a Passing Exercise), with the Cyprus Navy in September 2025. Reinforcing the operational dimension, the then Chief of National Guard of Cyprus and the thenIndia’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) held a cordial telephone conversation in August 2023, during which they addressed Eastern Mediterranean geostrategic challenges and issues of shared strategic interest..
Beyond military-to-military cooperation, the relationship has expanded into the domain of defence production and industry engagement, consistent with India’s broader ‘Make in India’ and Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) agenda in the defence sector. A high-level delegation led by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary (Defence Production) in the Ministry of Defence, accompanied by senior Ministry of Defence officials and the Chairman and Managing Directors of Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), visited Cyprus in September 2025. The visit was designed to explore avenues for bilateral cooperation in defence production, identify potential partnerships, and present Indian defence industrial capabilities to Cypriot counterparts.
Further underlining this industrial dimension, the High Commission of India in Nicosia organised a ‘Brand India’ event focused on Defence Production in Nicosia in March 2026. The event showcased the capabilities of India’s defence industrial base to Cypriot government officials, industry representatives, and other stakeholders, and provided a platform for direct engagement between Indian defence manufacturers and potential Cypriot partners.
The participation of a Cypriot Defence Delegation led by the Permanent Secretary of the Defence Ministry of Cyprus, Anna Aristotelous, at Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru in February 2025 further reflected Cyprus’s keen interest in engaging with India’s defence industrial ecosystem. On the sidelines of Aero India 2025, Ms. Aristotelous met with the Minister of State of Defence, Sanjay Seth and held substantive discussions on enhancing defence cooperation, signalling Cyprus’s active intent to deepen the partnership.
Space Cooperation
One of the most promising new dimensions of Cyprus–India cooperation is the space sector. In November 2025, an Indian delegation participated in COSPAR 2025 Scientific Symposium in Nicosia, hosted by the Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation (CSEO) in collaboration with the International Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). The symposium was themed ‘Humanity’s Challenges and Celestial Solutions,’ and brought together space scientists, researchers, and policymakers from across the world. The next COSPAR is to take place in August 2026.
India’s delegation to the symposium was notably diverse and high-calibre, comprising officials from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) as well as a representative of Pixxelspace India Private Ltd, a leading Indian space-technology start-up specialising in hyperspectral satellite imagery. The High Commission of India in Nicosia facilitated meetings between the ISRO officials and Pixxel’s representatives with relevant Cypriot entities, including the CSEO. These engagements opened potential pathways for cooperation in areas such as earth observation, satellite data applications, and space technology research.
The 1st India–Cyprus Space Day, held virtually in May 2026, marks a historic milestone as India and Cyprus unite through space collaboration. The event brought together space agencies, government leaders, industry players, and researchers from both nations to build lasting partnerships. Under the auspices of Cyprus’s Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and supported by the High Commission of India in Nicosia, the virtual summit focused on how space technology is reshaping business, security, and everyday life.
Conclusion
From the landmark MoU on Defence and Military Cooperation signed in December 2022 to the successive Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programmes, the naval port call and PASSEX exercises, the high-level defence production delegation, and the emerging space cooperation, the two nations have built a relationship that is increasingly substantive in content and sophisticated in structure. The trajectory of Cyprus–India cooperation in defence and space strongly suggests that the best of this partnership lies ahead.
