Fact Check: "During their talks on October 16, 2023, Modi and Christodulides discussed a five-year roadmap to strengthen cooperation in strategic areas, including defence industry collaboration under the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme signed in January 2023."
What We Know
On October 16, 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, in Nicosia. During these discussions, both leaders agreed to establish a five-year roadmap aimed at enhancing cooperation in various strategic areas, which notably includes collaboration in the defence industry. This agreement follows the signing of a Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme (BDCP) earlier in January 2023, which aims to solidify defence ties between India and Cyprus (source-1, source-2).
The discussions also encompassed a wide range of topics, including trade, investment, scientific research, and cultural cooperation, alongside the establishment of dialogues on cyber and maritime security (source-1, source-2).
Analysis
The claim that Modi and Christodoulides discussed a five-year roadmap for cooperation, including defence collaboration, is supported by multiple credible sources. The official press release from the Indian government confirms the establishment of a five-year roadmap to strengthen cooperation in strategic areas, explicitly mentioning the defence industry (source-1). Additionally, the discussions included a reaffirmation of the BDCP, which was signed in January 2023, further validating the context of defence cooperation (source-2).
Both sources are from reputable outlets: the Press Information Bureau (PIB) is the official agency of the Government of India, and DD News is a government-run news channel. This lends a high degree of reliability to the information presented. Furthermore, the consistency of the information across multiple reports reinforces its credibility.
Conclusion
The claim that during their talks on October 16, 2023, Modi and Christodoulides discussed a five-year roadmap to strengthen cooperation in strategic areas, including defence industry collaboration under the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme signed in January 2023, is True. The evidence from official sources corroborates the details of the discussions and the agreements made during the meeting.
Sources
- Prime Minister meets the President of the Republic ...
- Prime Minister Modi holds bilateral talks with Cyprus ...
- Joint declaration on the implementation of ...
- Roadmap for U.S.-India Defense Industrial Cooperation
- India-Cyprus relations: expanding defence and economic ties
- India, Cyprus to develop roadmap to provide strategic ...
- India, US agree to chart out ‘ambitious’ defence ...
- India and Cyprus to boost defence and maritime ...
