Cyprus-based expert Sunil Kapoor shares his view of historic Modi visit with leading India news channel

Sunil Kapoor, the COO & Partner of OL Shipping Group, was recently invited to share his views on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Cyprus and the strengthened business ties developing between the two countries on a top Indian news programme.

As well as having longstanding experience of the local business scene, Kapoor had participated in the roundtable discussion, 'Contribution by business leaders on their business module and plans for collaboration between Cyprus and India’ at the high-level business forum held in Limassol on 15 June. During the event, President Nikos Christodoulides and Modi described their common vision for broader bilateral relations between their two countries.

In his comments to NDTV's Gaurie Dwivedi during a segment on 'India Global', Kapoor, among other things, noted that even though Modi’s visit was relatively short, the Prime Minister had achieved a lot during his time in Cyprus.

Kapoor shared Modi’s sentiment that cooperation was not just about ease of doing business, but also about doing business with long-term partners that could be trusted.

Kapoor noted that this would be gainful for both countries, going on to underline that Modi’s visit was not just symbolic but what he described as a turning point for deeper cooperation.

The COO said that the roundtable discussion he had taken part in had raised issues of cooperation and better understanding, going on to say that in terms of business and trust, the effort had resulted in a major upgrade in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Asked to comment specifically on energy and trade connections between India and Cyprus, Kapoor underlined that the maritime sector would be playing a very important role in this.

Noting that the sector had been represented by a group of people at the roundtable discussion, and heard Modi emphasising that India would be investing in shipping and spending more on the development of ports, in shipbuilding, and in ship repairs, Kapoor pointed out was something that would benefit both India and Cyprus.

On the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), Kapoor said he was confident trade and cargo from India would be making good use of it, perhaps also passing through Cyprus, once the geopolitical situation in the region improved.

Pointing out that both India and Cyprus had a shared outlook on prosperity and peace, Kapoor also noted that while in past years the way the two countries did business was very different, they now had more common ground and shared practices.

Kapoor's full comments to NDTV, in English, can be seen below: