Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias is in Paris, and in answering questions from journalists, he reaffirmed Greece's strong ties with India.
"First of all, this morning there was a meeting in Athens under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, where the Ukrainian issue was discussed together with the issue of energy," the foreign minister said.
"Beyond that, we have very basic and clear priorities," he noted, adding: "First, it is a matter of principle."
"Greece is in favour of the territorial integrity of all countries in accordance with the United Nations Charter and world principles and values," Greece's top diplomat continued.
"We do, however, have a special issue: the protection of the Greek minority on the right and left of the line of contact, a large minority of 150,000 people," he said.
"So again, as yesterday, I am going to raise the issue in the light of new developments in the region," he rounded up before receiving questions for journalists.
JOURNALIST: "And you had a bilateral meeting here in Paris on the sidelines of the meeting with the Indo-Pacific."
DENDIAS: "My meetings with the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Jaishankar is of particular importance to us.
"We believe that India is a rising power, which will play an important role not only in the Indo-Pacific region, but also globally.
"In addition, it is a country that shares the basic principles of Greek foreign policy with regard to International Law and the Law of the Sea.
"So in view of my visit to India in March, it was a great pleasure for me to meet him and discuss international issues and recent developments in Ukraine again."
Reflecting on his meeting with Jaishankar, the foreign minister said on Twitter: I met with Indian Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar.
"Excellent Greek-India relations and shared commitment to International Law and Law of the Sea.
"Discussion on my upcoming visit to India, EU-IndoPacific relations, developments in Ukraine, Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Afghanistan."
I met with #India FM @DrSJaishankar. Excellent 🇬🇷🇮🇳 relations and shared commitment to International Law & Law of the Sea. Discussion on my upcoming visit to India, 🇪🇺 #IndoPacific relations, developments in #Ukraine, #EasternMediterranean, #MiddleEast & #Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/nyFMv9Co78
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 22, 2022
Ties between Athens and New Delhi are expected to strengthen over the course of 2022 in a strategic manner.
This will culminate with the expected visit of the Greek foreign minister to New Delhi later this year.
READ MORE: Athens-New Delhi boost economic ties, 8th Inter-Ministerial Committee meeting organised for April.
