India, Cyprus ink two MoUs

India and Cyprus signed two Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday on 'Combating Money Laundering and Cooperation' in the field of Environment, in presence of the Presidents of both the countries.

Indian President Ramnath Kovind, who is in Cyprus as a part of his three-nation tour to Europe spanning over eight days, met with his counterpart Nicos Anastasiades to hold wide range of discussions today on the issues of mutual interest, including promotion of business collaboration in the fields of IT and IT Enabled Services, tourism, shipping and renewable energy.

Kovind also addressed the Parliament of Cyprus and expressed his gratitude for the invitation to visit the country.

While talking about bilateral relations between the two countries, Kovind asserted that Cyprus and India hardly disagree on any major issues.

"The strong connection between the citizens of Cyprus and India is the most important source of our bilateral energy. From people-to-people contacts, we build economic and trade links, educational and intellectual connections, and a fruitful bilateral partnership," President Kovind said.

During his address, President Kovind thanked Cyprus for its unstinted backing of India's candidature for expanded United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) during his address.

He further appreciated the landscape of the country and talked about the "shared values" of the two countries.

"In New Delhi, a major road is named in honour of the venerable Archbishop Makarios. Shortly before coming here, I paid tribute before a bust of Mahatma Gandhi placed in the adjoining park. Mahatma Gandhi was not only the leader of our freedom movement and that of the entire Indian subcontinent," he said.

President Kovind also addressed the Indian diaspora in Cyprus on Sunday and termed the community as true cultural ambassadors.

From Cyprus, President Kovind will proceed to Bulgaria on September 4, where he is scheduled to meet Bulgarian President Radev and Prime Minister Boyko Borissov. In the last leg of the journey, President Kovind will visit the Czech Republic from September 6 to 9, where he will hold a discussion on issues of mutual concern with Czech President Milos Zeman.