PM Modi Conferred With Cyprus’s Highest Honour, Dedicates Award to Friendship
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with ‘The Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III’, the highest civilian honour of Cyprus, on Monday during his official visit to the Mediterranean nation. Receiving the award, the Prime Minister dedicated it to the deep-rooted friendship between the two countries and to the people of India.
“This honour is not just a recognition of me, Narendra Modi — it is an honour for 1.4 billion Indians. It is a tribute to their strength and aspirations,” PM Modi said in his acceptance speech. He added that the award also represents a recognition of India’s culture and the philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family).
“I dedicate this award to the friendship between India and Cyprus, to our shared values, and to Cyprus’s understanding of India,” the Prime Minister stated, accepting the honour with “utmost humility and gratitude” on behalf of all Indians.
PM Modi is on the first leg of a three-nation tour, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the island nation in over two decades. He was received at the airport by Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, with whom he later held discussions on strengthening bilateral ties.
A key focus of the visit was bolstering economic cooperation. Both leaders addressed the India-Cyprus CEO Forum, where PM Modi invited Cypriot investors and business leaders to explore opportunities in India, highlighting the country’s reform trajectory over the past decade.
He welcomed the creation of the India, Cyprus, and Greece Business and Investment Council, calling it “a very good initiative” that could become a key platform for trilateral economic cooperation. Highlighting a concrete step in this direction, PM Modi noted that the Cyprus Stock Exchange and India’s National Stock Exchange have agreed to cooperate in Gujarat’s GIFT City.
“Strengthening business ties! President Nikos Christodoulides and I met with top CEOs, with the aim of strengthening trade ties between India and Cyprus. Sectors such as innovation, energy, technology and others offer huge potential,” the Prime Minister wrote in a post on X.
From Cyprus, PM Modi will travel to Canada to attend the G7 Summit, followed by a historic first visit by an Indian PM to Croatia.
