India: The emerging superpower showed its "teeth" to Turkey, with Modi's visit to Nicosia

For an extremely important visit, the first by an Indian prime minister in 23 years, Narendra Modi arrives in Cyprus on Sunday, as not only will the high level and partnership between the two countries be confirmed, but important messages will also be sent by the leader of the most populous country in the world and one of the most important global economies.

The visit takes place in the midst of the Israel-Iran conflict, which directly affects Indian interests, with the Indian Prime Minister seeking in recent years the presence of his country in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. It is indicative that Pakistan rushed to side with Iran, wanting to keep up with Tayyip Erdogan but also to "expose" New Delhi, which maintains a balanced stance due to its close relationship with Israel.

The messages sent by the Indian Prime Minister with his visit also have broader geopolitical dimensions. Narendra Modi, in his meetings with President Nikos Christodoulides and with his very presence in the Republic of Cyprus, will confirm India's support for the implementation of IMEC with the participation of Cyprus. At the same time, he will find the opportunity to respond to the provocative support that Tayyip Erdogan offers to Pakistan, in the dispute with India over the Kashmir issue.

After the recent heated India-Pakistan confrontation, the Turkish president not only publicly supported Pakistan, but also invited the Pakistani Prime Minister to Ankara, offering his support against India in every way.

Abandoning a policy of balance that Ankara had previously adopted, which had not hidden its ambition to play a “mediator” role in the Kashmir dispute, the Turkish president has now completely cut off bridges with New Delhi.

This choice is not unrelated to the pursuit of creating a Turkey-Azerbaijan-Pakistan axis, which will control this geographical region and will constitute a powerful lever of pressure on the so-called “Turkic” republics of Central Asia. The latter are causing concern in Ankara due to their intention to wean themselves from the suffocating Turkish influence, as was recently seen with the adoption of UN Security Council resolutions on the Cyprus issue during the EU-Central Asia Summit in Astana.

However, Tayyip Erdogan’s hostile attitude towards India is also due to other reasons: India, which is leading the way, together with the US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, in creating the IMEC Corridor, is choosing to bypass Turkey.

The Turkish side considers this option as a threat, as it excludes it from a crucial geopolitical corridor and weakens its pursuit of becoming an energy, trade and data hub that will connect Europe with the East.

Indian Prime Minister Modi is expected, in his meeting with Nikos Christodoulides, to express his support for the inclusion of the Republic of Cyprus in the ambitious IMEC project, with Nicosia having already worked systematically in this direction.

Mr. Christodoulides, during his visit to Israel last month, had discussed IMEC with Benjamin Netanyahu, ensuring Israel's support for Cyprus' participation. At the same time, the very good relations that Nikos Christodoulides has reestablished with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi offer another advantage to the Republic of Cyprus.

Having established a strong strategic relationship with the US, France, Egypt, the Arab World and other countries in the region in recent years, while promoting an important energy cooperation for Egypt and as a member of the EU, Cyprus is politically and diplomatically shielded against Turkey and constitutes a crucial link in the security architecture in the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region.

Although IMEC was agreed as a plan in 2023 under the Biden presidency, President Trump continues to personally support the project, which is an alternative to China's major trade corridors, but also as a means of cooperation with the Gulf countries.

IMEC was launched at the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on 9 September 2023, with a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the leaders of India, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union. The implementation of IMEC is, of course, conditional on peace in Gaza and the