5 January 2023, NIICE Commentary 8469
Nirupama Gehlot

On January 3, 2022, External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr S Jaishankar finished his two-nation tour to Cyprus and Austria. Extensive conversations on a number of pressing problems, the reaffirmation of strong diplomatic ties with both countries, discussions on India-EU relations, and the signing of agreements on a number of crucial topics, including migration and mobility, marked EAM’s visit to the two countries. During his visit to Cyprus, EAM Jaishankar met with officials to discuss bilateral ties and international and regional matters of mutual concern. Additionally, EAM met with interim President Annita Demetriou to address several significant national, international, and regional issues, including the conflict in Ukraine. Later, he met with his Cypriot counterpart, Ioannis Kasoulides. During their meeting, the two leaders praised Cyprus and India’s excellent relations and close cooperation. They also reviewed their countries’ relations, including their financial, commercial, diplomatic, and historical ties.

“We have had extremely fruitful conversations today on our bilateral ties, our multilateral collaboration, on geopolitical and regional problems,” EAM Jaishankar told reporters. “The Indo-Pacific, the Middle East, or West Asia as it is known to us, Europe, and India-EU ties were all discussed at length”. The abovementioned contracts are evidence of Cyprus’s efforts to ally itself with a rising superpower. By taking a stand with India on ISA, Cyprus would gain the much-needed geopolitical power it has been lacking, as the opinions of 123 countries will shift in favour of the island. The other two agreements are intended to be bilateral aid from India to Cyprus. The mobility provisions of the Letter of Intent (LoI) would allow Cyprus to reap the benefits of India’s growing pool of competent young people. For its part, the defence pact would make Cyprus a prime market for India’s indigenous weapons.

Increasing military strength is crucial to Cyprus’s continued existence. It has been dealing with bullying in Turkey for the last 48 years. After an invasion by Turkey in 1974, the island of Cyprus was split between the Republic of Cyprus (ROC), which is dominated by Greeks, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Unlike TRNC, which Turkey exclusively recognises, ROC has widespread international recognition and is a member of the European Union. Heavy Turkish armaments and over 35,000 soldiers are now permanently stationed in Northern Cyprus. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman aspirations pose a more significant threat to Cyprus’s independence than ever. The people of Cyprus have been trying to organise a resistance movement for some time now. It realises that, in this day and age, the West can only provide empty promises.

Provocative Turkey and the Retaliation

Cyprus, though, may find India to be a valuable ally. Two factors contribute to this conclusion. The main priority should be the well-being of the typical Cypriot. Turkey itself has offered the second reason. Turkey has been working to put pressure on India over the Kashmir dispute for decades. For all these years, India has largely ignored the Turkish voice over the issue. Even the Modi Cabinet abstained from interacting with such a geographically distant nation.

In 2019, Turkey took the issue to the United Nations, most likely over Pakistan’s objections. The heightened border security made it difficult for the terrorist country to penetrate Kashmir. Kashmir’s constitutional and legal separation from India ended with the repeal of Article 370. After Pakistan’s efforts to halt the abrogation were futile and its voice on the matter was ignored, it sent a surrogate, Turkey, to raise the issue.

In the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) of 2019, Erdogan brought up the topic. The response from India was negative. To no one’s surprise, Prime Minister Modi never made it to the Pakistan-friendly country he had planned to visit. India has joined the chorus of nations that condemned Turkish aggression in northeastern Syria. Erdogan, however, pulled the same ruse during the 75th UNGA.

Erdogan hadn’t learnt his lesson by the year 2022 at the UNGA. This time, India tried to counterattack, and EAM Jaishankar brought up the Cyprus problem a few hours after Erdogan’s botched misadventure. It was just a matter of time until India and Cyprus’ bilateral relations reached a new level, particularly at the strategic level.

During EAM’s visit, the foreign minister of Cyprus invoked India’s partition to oppose the “two-state” solution to the Cyprus problem. “As we have seen in the case of India, the country’s division was only the beginning of a treacherous path, not its conclusion. “Therefore, a two-state solution for Cyprus and its people is unacceptable,” stated Ioannis Kasoulides. Jaishankar has brought up a problem, like laying hands on Turkey’s irritated nerves. As a solution to the Cyprus problem, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s support for a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation based on UN resolutions during his speech. Foreign Minister Kasoulides, for his part, praised India for its support of Cyprus’ efforts to negotiate a sustainable and complete settlement following relevant UN Security Council resolutions and international law.

Charismatic leadership

Today, under Modi’s direction, India’s diplomacy has shifted from preventative to punitive. Over eight years, he has gone from relative obscurity to becoming the world’s foremost authority on significant foreign policy matters. Even though India does not have a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, all the other members of the permanent five seek Modi’s advice and approval whenever they can. Our equally capable Minister of Foreign Affairs, S. Jaishankar, has carried out Modi’s well-planned punitive diplomacy.

Nirupama Gehlot is a PhD Candidate at Department of Political Science, Banasthali Vidyapith and an Assistant Professor at Rajasthan School of Law for Women, Rajasthan, India.