NE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, JUNE 16
President Nikos Christodoulides of Cyprus on Monday presented Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Grand Cross of the Order of Makarios III, Cyprus’s highest honour, at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. This marks the 23rd time a foreign country has bestowed its top civilian award on PM Modi, an unprecedented tally for any Indian Prime Minister.
This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Cyprus in 23 years. President Christodoulides thanked India for its steadfast support on the Cyprus issue and praised Nicosia and New Delhi’s partnership in promoting regional peace across the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East. With Cyprus slated to hold the EU Council Presidency from January 1, 2026, both leaders vowed to deepen India–EU strategic collaboration.
Accepting the honour on behalf of 1.4 billion Indians, Prime Minister expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the President, the Government, and the people of Cyprus. He dedicated the award to the longstanding warm ties between India and Cyprus which are built on shared values and mutual trust. He further noted that the award was a recognition of India’s age-old philosophy of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” or “The World is one Family” that guides its vision for global peace and progress.
Prime Minister embraced the honour as a renewed commitment to strengthening and diversifying the partnership between India and Cyprus. He emphasized that the award was a symbol of the unwavering commitment of the two countries to peace, security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity.
