New Delhi, India. Chief Scientist Demetris Skourides participated in the EU-India Forum on February 6-7, aiming to strengthen Cyprus’ positioning within the evolving EU-India Innovation and Technology Partnership.
Cyprus delegation
Skourides was accompanied by Heraklitos Iosifides, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Cyprus High Commission in India, and Nicolas Kyriakides, President of the Cyprus Forum, during the official visit.
Forum hosts and context
The closed, invitation-only forum was hosted by India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar and convened by the Ananta Centre in partnership with India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
The event followed the 16th India-EU Summit and the historic conclusion of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, with the aim of translating high-level political agreements into actionable outcomes.
Key discussion areas
Discussions were structured around Security and Defence, with a focus on maritime security and Indo-Pacific cooperation; Technology, including semiconductors, cybersecurity and AI governance; Connectivity, with emphasis on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor; and Climate and Energy, aligned with the clean energy transition.
More than 200 senior policymakers, advisers, industry leaders, technocrats, corporations, startups and strategic experts from India and all 27 EU Member States attended, with the forum seeking to deepen strategic convergence and convert commitments into concrete initiatives.
Trade and security priorities
A central theme was the further development of the trade and investment architecture after the FTA, with a view to boosting bilateral trade and deepening economic engagement for mutual benefit.
Jaishankar described the advancement as a “game changer.”
Security and defence cooperation featured prominently, covering maritime security, geopolitical shifts, Indo-Pacific engagement, counterterrorism and hybrid threats, alongside emerging technologies such as semiconductors, cybersecurity, digital governance and artificial intelligence.
Connectivity, sustainability, talent mobility, defence collaboration, technology transfer and people-to-people ties were also examined as pillars of the partnership.
What aspect of the EU-India partnership do you think will have the biggest impact on Cyprus?