Greece is India’s gateway to Europe, PM says
Greece and India have pledged to enhance bilateral cooperation following a meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday.
In joint statements following discussions between the two countries’ delegations, Mitsotakis, marking the first official visit by a Greek prime minister to India in 16 years, noted progress in advancing strategic cooperation in a wide range of areas including defense, security, technology, investments, education, culture, tourism, and agriculture.
“In every area our cooperation shows great promise,” the Greek premier said, adding that “in Modi I have found a visionary, a principled leader and a true friend.”
Mitsotakis additionally highlighted the promising outlook facilitated by the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), emphasizing Greece’s pivotal role as the gateway of India to Europe.
“Greece – you just have to look at a map to realize this – is India’s gateway to Europe and through IMEC we see our participation as a very important aspect of this strategic partnership,” he said.
“But in order to achieve this we need peace in the Middle East. Stability is the necessary condition for every project that aims to increase the prosperity of the greater region for the benefit of all countries involved,” he said.
Greece’s prime minister emphasized that international partnerships and collective action are paramount for governments to address the significant global challenges at this time.
“India has a critical role to play in this endeavour and we view India as one of the main pillars of stability and security in the broader region of the Indo-Pacific,” Mitsotakis said. “We consider our country to constitute a pillar of stability in our own region, the Eastern Mediterranean, and it is this mutual commitment to peace that has brought us so close,” he added.
He also underscored the importance of a memorandum of cooperation to be signed between the two countries on migration and mobility.
Doubling trade transactions
In his statements, the Indian prime minister referred to his visit to Greece last August, asserting that Mitsotakis’ visit to India signifies “an incredible opportunity.”
He further said that discussions on Wednesday were “extremely satisfactory” and underscored the goal of doubling trade transactions between the two countries by 2030.
Modi also highlighted the potential for cooperation in defense, mobility, and migration. In relation to the education sector, Modi noted the special emphasis placed on connecting universities in the two countries.
The two sides, he added, have decided to establish a new action plan to commemorate the 95 years since the inception of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
