Inputs by Alekhya Chavan.
On August 25th, 2023, Greece played host to India’s Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, in a significant event.
The invitation extended by the Greek Prime Minister, Mr. H.E. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, set the stage for important discussions in The Hellenic Republic, Greece.
The Importance of the Visit
Greece and India both have ancient civilisations. Both civilisations were polytheistic and the pantheon (the total set) of Gods was also similar. Apollo and Surya, Zeus and Indra, Hades and Yama, Kamadeva and Cupid, and so on.
However, in modern times, Indo-Greek collaboration on the political, economic, and military fronts, has not been too high.
In 2022-23, the total trade (all the things bought and sold by the two countries to each other) was about 2 billion USD. However, India is not in the top 10 export or import markets for Greece. This means that India is not among the top 10 countries from which Greece imports, nor is it among the top 10 countries to which Greece exports.
On the political front, the last time an Indian Prime Minister visited Greece was in 1983 – 40 years ago. The Greek Prime Minister, Mr. Mitsotakis, had visited India in 2019.
The Indian embassy in Greece released a statement on the importance of Indo-Greek relations:
“Following India’s nuclear tests in May 1998, when most Western countries were contemplating sanctions against India, the Greek Defence Minister visited India in December, 1998 (first Defence Minister from a NATO country to visit India after the tests) and signed a MOU on Defence Cooperation,”
Prime Minister Modi visited Greece right after the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. He celebrated the success of the Chandrayaan mission with the Indian community in Greece.
Recent Co-operation
This year, Greece and India have participated in joint naval and air exercises.
Lt Gen Themistoklis Bourolias, Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff, visited India in June 2023 and met the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Anil Chauhan, Indian Army Chief, Gen Manoj Pande, and the Chief of the Indian Air Force, Air Chief Marshal V R Chaudhari.
Highest Civilian Honour of Greece
The President of Greece, Ms. Katerina Sakellaropoulou, presented Greece’s highest civilian honour, The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour, to the Indian Prime Minister.
The Agenda
The discussions between Prime Ministers Modi and Mitsotakis covered the following agenda items.
1) Historical Connections and Global Role: Acknowledging the deep historical ties between India and Greece, both leaders emphasized the global roles their nations play and the importance of strengthening their partnership.
2) Maritime Security: Given their rich maritime heritage, both nations shared a vision of maintaining the openness and safety of the Mediterranean Sea and the Indo-Pacific, emphasizing to abide by international law.
3) Partnership for Global Impact: They came up with a strategy to form a constructive global impact through partnership, recognizing the significant influence of both India and the European Union (EU) in the domains of democracy and business.
4) Strengthening Trade and Connectivity: Despite regional challenges, they praised each other’s economic strength and capability and set a goal to double trade between Greece and India by 2030. The Greek economy grew by 5.9% last year – better than most other developed economies.
5) Collaboration Across different areas: Their collaboration extended across diverse zones, covering defense, technology, and education. They explored ideas for facilitating easier cross-country work travel and strengthening their varied partnership.
6) Counterterrorism: Both leaders clearly discussed the danger of terrorism, underscoring their commitment to ensuring security within their borders.
7) Solar Power Initiative: India’s Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation to Greece to join the solar power initiative, reflecting a combined approach to address energy challenges.
8) India’s Leadership in the G20: An air of hope and confidence prevailed as they discussed India’s potential leadership role within the G20 group, highlighting the promising future prospects that this position could bring.
The G20 is a special group of 19 countries plus the European Union that work together to solve big problems like money matters, protecting the Earth, and making the world better for everyone.
The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, shared the following video on Twitter to sum up his Greece visit.
Better economic ties, closer cultural linkages and stronger bond with the Indian diaspora…here are highlights from my Greece visit. pic.twitter.com/qqxjOKjvu6
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 26, 2023
The MoU Signed
During the visit, one of the significant outcomes was the signing of an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture. This MOU establishes a Hellenic-Indian Joint Sub-committee on Agriculture, aimed at promoting cooperation and mutual benefit, especially in the agricultural sector.
What’s Next
As the visit concluded, Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude for the warm reception extended by Greece and left the door open for Greece to explore new horizons in India. The visit is likely to lead to more concrete steps on multilateral (multi – many, lateral – sides) cooperation between the two countries.