The Ministry of External Affairs has announced that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will embark on a State visit to India from February 21-22 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This visit signifies the first bilateral Head of State/Government level visit from Greece to India in 15 years, with the last such visit occurring in 2008 when then Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis visited accompanied by Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis will lead a delegation of senior officials and a high-powered business delegation during his visit. He is scheduled to be the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the 9th Raisina Dialogue, 2024 in New Delhi, and will also make a stop in Mumbai before returning to Athens.
The visit is expected to include a ceremonial welcome for PM Mitsotakis at Rashtrapati Bhawan’s forecourt, bilateral discussions between Prime Ministers Modi and Mitsotakis, and a lunch banquet hosted by PM Modi in honor of the visiting dignitary.
India-Greece relations were elevated to a ‘Strategic Partnership’ during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Greece in August 2023. During the visit, PM Modi expressed optimism about bolstering India-Greece friendship, enhancing people-to-people linkages, and welcomed Greece into the International Solar Alliance (ISA). He also looked forward to Greece’s membership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).
The relationship between India and Greece is characterized by shared cultural values and collaboration in various sectors such as security, defense, shipping, and maritime affairs, in addition to alignment on regional and global issues. Both nations have been active collaborators in numerous multilateral forums.
Recent engagements between the two countries include meetings between Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) Jaishankar and Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias. These discussions covered a range of security challenges facing the world today.
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval also held discussions with his Greek counterpart Athanasios Ntokos, emphasizing collaboration in security, technology, and infrastructure.
Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Athens in August 2023 laid the groundwork for deepening the strategic partnership between India and Greece, and Prime Minister Mitsotakis’s upcoming visit is expected to further strengthen these ties.