Greek PM To Make First State Visit To India in 15 years

At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will embark on a state visit to India from February 21-22, as announced by the Ministry of External Affairs. This marks the first bilateral head of state or government-level visit from Greece to India in 15 years. The last prime ministerial visit from Greece to India occurred in 2008 when Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis visited alongside Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis in January 2008.

In the meantime, Greek PM Mitsotakis will be joined by senior officials and a prominent business delegation. He will serve as the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the 9th Raisina Dialogue, 2024 in New Delhi. Additionally, he plans to visit Mumbai before heading back to Athens.

PM Mitsotakis will receive a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan. Following this, Prime Minister Modi and PM Mitsotakis will engage in bilateral discussions, with PM Modi also hosting a lunch banquet in honor of the visiting dignitary.

India-Greece relations were elevated to a ‘Strategic Partnership’ during PM Modi’s visit to Greece in August 2023. Subsequent to the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his belief that his trip to Greece would bolster the friendship between India and Greece, particularly in terms of people-to-people connections. He also extended a warm welcome to Greece’s participation in the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and anticipated Greece’s membership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The relationship between India and Greece is founded on common cultural values, a dedication to promoting economic development, cooperation in security and defense, maritime affairs, and marked alignment on regional and global matters. Additionally, the two nations have maintained close collaboration in numerous multilateral platforms.