Greek PM Mitsotakis to visit India tomorrow: Will New Delhi-Athens Strategic partnership receive boost?
| 2024-02-20
PM Modi with Greek PM Mitsotakis-file photo
This will be the first head of government level visit from Greece to India after 2008
Imparting a fresh thrust to his country’s strategic partnership with India, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is arriving India on Wednesday on a two-day state visit.
This would be the first bilateral head of state/government level visit from Greece to India after 15 years; the last Prime Ministerial visit from Greece to India took place in 2008.
During his visit on February 21-22, Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also hold discussions with him on issues of bilateral importance, the Ministry External Affairs said.
The Greek Prime Minister will be accompanied by senior officials and a high-powered business delegation. PM Mitsotakis will be the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the 9th Raisina Dialogue, 2024 in New Delhi.
Strong Bond of Friendship
India-Greece relations have been elevated to ‘Strategic Partnership’ during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Greece in August 2023. These relations are based on shared cultural values, commitment to foster economic growth, collaboration in the fields of security and defence, shipping, maritime and marked by convergence on regional and global issues.
India enjoys a warm and friendly relationship with Greece and it has been marked by consistent support to each other on issues of core national interest, such as Kashmir and Cyprus.
The two countries have also been cooperating closely in various multilateral forums.
Greece’s Support to India at International level
Greece has extended full support to India’s quest for a Permanent Seat in an expanded UNSC (co-sponsored the G-4 Resolution and voted in favour of the country’s successful bid for the non-Permanent UNSC Seat, 2011-12).
Both the countries pledged reciprocal support for election to the non-Permanent seat in UNSC - for India’s candidature in 2021-2022.
Greece, as per understandings reached, voted for India’s candidature to UNSC for 2021-22. It supported India at the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group in 2008, and 2016, MTCR, WASSENAAR arrangements, Australia Group.
Greece also supported India’s candidature for ICJ, ITLOS, IMO, Postal Operations Council (POC), World Heritage Committee and for the position of the External Auditor of the IAEA for the term 2022-27 and various other international bodies.
India-Greece Defence Partnership
Following India’s nuclear tests in May 1998, when most Western countries were contemplating sanctions against India, the then Greek Defence Minister visited India in December 1998 and signed an MoU on defence cooperation. He was the first Defence Minister from a NATO country to visit India after the tests.
With this visit by the then Greek Defence Minister, military interactions between the two countries increased. Members of India’s National Defence College visited Greece in 2002, 2003 and 2008, while Indian Naval ships made good will visits to the ports of the Hellenic Republic.
From the Greek side, the Chief of the Hellenic Navy participated in the International Fleet review at Vizag in February, 2016. A high-level defence delegation led by Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Theodoros Lagios, Director General of General Directorate for Defence Investment and Armaments participated in DefExpo 2020 in February 2020, Lucknow.
On July 29, 2021, then Chief of Army Staff General MM Naravane spoke with his Greek counterpart Lieutenant General Charalambos Lalousi, through a video call and discussed various aspects of bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.
On January14, 2022, a virtual bilateral meeting was held between official delegations led by JS (IC), MoD and DG, General Directorate of National Defence Policy & International Relations of Greece. A follow up webinar between Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM) and Greek counterparts was held on February 16, 2022.
The Chief of Hellenic Air Staff paid an official visit to India on June 12-15, 2023. Indian Air Force participated in the multinational air exercise INIOCHOS-23 hosted by the Hellenic Air Force at the Andravida Air Base in Greece from April 24 to May 4, 2023. The IAF participated with four Su-30 MKI and two C-17 aircraft.
A three-member technical survey team from the Indian Air Force visited Greece for the inspection of Mirage 2000 airframes at Tanagra from May 08 to May 11, 2023.
The Indian Navy’s Kolkata class destroyer ship INS CHENNAI visited Souda Bay, Crete from July27 to 29, 2023 and undertook a Passage Exercise with the Hellenic Naval Ship Nikiforos Fokas in the Aegean Sea. On September 16, 2023, INS Sumedha naval ship undertook a maritime partnership exercise with the Hellenic Navy ship HS Elli in the Mediterranean Sea.
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