Nicosia: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has said that the world appreciates the role of Indian peacekeepers serving under the UN Flag.
He said this during his visit to Cyprus while walking along a street in Larnaca dedicated to General K S Thimayya, who is regarded as one of the most distinguished combat officers of the Indian Army.
“So nice to see the street in Larnaca named after General K S Thimayya,” tweeted Jaishankar on his official Twitter handle @DrSJaishankar on Friday.
“Indian Peacekeepers serving under the UN flag are appreciated around the world,” he wrote sharing a picture of himself under the street signage.
General Thimayya was India’s Chief of Army Staff from 1957 to 1961. He is regarded as one of the most distinguished combat officers of the Indian Army. He is the only Indian to command an Infantry brigade in battle during the Second World War.
During Jaishankar’s three-day visit to Cyprus, he also met the country’s former Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides.
Jaishankar in a tweet on Friday wrote, “Good to catch up with an old friend, former Foreign Minister @Christodulides.”
Jaishankar while addressing a business community event in Limassol, Cyprus on Friday, thanked the country’s Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides and Deputy Shipping Minister Vassilios Demetriades for joining the event.
At the event, he spoke about expanding the India-Cyprus bilateral economic relationship. He thanked Cyprus for supporting India’s EU engagement.
Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides on Friday said that his country supported the momentum of negotiations on the EU-India Free Trade Agreement.
Speaking at a business event in Cyprus, Kasoulides said, “There is recognition of the great scope for further cooperation to relations between the European Union and India. In this respect, we support the momentum of the negotiations of the EU-India Free Trade Agreement. Cyprus is a strong voice within the EU, and there is a need to strengthen tangibly EU-India relations.”
S Jaishankar and his Cyprus counterpart Ioannis Kasoulides signed an MoU on Defence and Military Cooperation, in Nicosia on Thursday.
“We have signed a number of important agreements today. One is the MoU on Defence and Military Cooperation between our two countries,” Jaishankar said during a press conference alongside Kasoulide.
This agreement was signed during Jaishankar’s first visit to the country. The two sides also inked the Letter of Intent on the Migration and Mobility Partnership.
He said this deal will help provide a common framework of arrangement and cooperation to facilitate the mobility of students, business people and professionals. “It will also help in combatting irregular migration,” he said.
Jaishankar also welcomed signing the framework agreement on the signing of the International solar alliance by Cyprus.
“I believe, our cooperation in the field of renewable energy will gain as a result,” he added.