After a failed attempt to visit Athens - scheduled for November 2020 - was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar is finally coming to Greece on Saturday.
Jaishankar will meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and then will have talks with his Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.
They are expected to discuss issues of bilateral and common interest, such as developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and South Asia.
At noon on Saturday, the Greek Foreign Minister will host a lunch in honour of his Indian counterpart.
On Saturday evening, Jaishankar will also attend the unveiling of a bust of Mahatma Gandhi, which will be placed on King Constantine Avenue near the Truman statue in Central Athens.
Greece wants to build sincere relations of cooperation with many countries, and has identified India as a key partner, especially since relations with Turkey and Pakistan are bad.
Pakistan maintains close ties with Turkey, with the two countries have a close cooperation in the military, diplomatic and economic fields.
In the context of searching for new allies, the Greek government sought to intensify the channels of communication with New Delhi as both countries face the same threats and have no bounds in the economic and cultural spheres.
Besides being the largest democracy in the world, India is also a great economic power and the benefits of strengthening the Greek-Indian cooperation will be significant.
Importantly as well, Turkey is attempting to involve itself deeply in the Kashmir issue in support of Pakistan.
Pakistan has been the main financier, organiser and coordinator of terrorist groups in Jammu and Kashmir, and the involvement of Turkey threatens to heighten the jihadist threat to India given its close relationship with the likes of Al-Qaeda and ISIS.
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