The Indian Embassy in Turkey, known for its "trolling" by consistently making friendly tweets towards Greece in the context of the difficult relations that both Athens and New Delhi have with Ankara, wished the Greek people a Happy Independence Day.
It is noted that Greece gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire, in which Turkey is the successor state of, through a revolution that began in 1821
The Twitter account of the Embassy posted: "Happy Independence Day to people of Greece," accompanied with the shaking of hands between the flags of India and Greece.
https://twitter.com/IndianEmbassyTR/status/1507198541818642432
The tweet was in response to one made by Indian Foreign Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, who only days earlier met with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias in New Delhi.
"Warm greetings to Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and the Government and people of Greece on their Independence Day. Our comprehensive partnership, boosted by our recent interactions, is poised for greater heights," he tweeted.
In response, Dendias wrote Thank you @DrSJaishankar for your warm wishes on the occasion of our national day!
Thank you @DrSJaishankar for your warm wishes on the occasion of our national day!
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) March 25, 2022
For their part, the Indian Foreign Ministry tweeted: "Warm greetings to the Government and people of Greece on their Independence Day!"
This prompted for the Greek Foreign Ministry to respond with: "Thank you Indian Diplomacy for your kind message of congratulations on the occasion of the Greek national day on 25thMarch!"
Thank you @IndianDiplomacy for your kind message of congratulations on the occasion of the Greek national day #25thMarch! 🇬🇷🤝🇮🇳
— Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών (@GreeceMFA) March 25, 2022
Dendias arrived in New Delhi on March 22 for a two-day official visit, his first visit to India as a diplomat.
During his official visit, Dendias was also received by Vice-President Naidu, to whom he relayed the best wishes of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
In an address to students and faculty at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Dendias underlined that both countries respect international law and UNCLOS, with international diplomacy's attention increasingly turning maritime and littoral issues.
In a statement on Wednesday, following the conclusion of talks in New Delhi with Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Dendias reminded that India was also a signatory to UNCLOS and a member of the UN Security Council.
READ MORE: The contribution of the Greeks and Philhellenes of India to Greece’s Independence.
Referring to his meeting and working lunch with his counterpart, Dendias noted that “expected As expected, we first discussed the crisis in Ukraine and I conveyed Greece's positions…"
"We agreed that this development is entirely incompatible with international law; the attempt to change borders through violence, as well as the lack of respect for territorial integrity, is entirely beyond the framework of international law," he added.
Other issues discussed were efforts to boost bilateral economic ties, the situation in the eastern Mediterranean, as well as the Cyprus problem. "Cyprus has historic relations with India, dating from the era of Archbishop Makarios and Jawaharlal Nehru," Dendias said.
Referring to the Cyprus issue at JNU, Dendias cited ties of the island republic with India, particularly India's support at the UN General Assembly for Cyprus' independence, which eventually led to its membership in the UN and the European Union.
In concluding his address, the Greek foreign minister also announced new initiatives, such as the signing of a cultural and educational exchange program between Greece and India for the period 2022-2026 and the reinforcement of the Chair of Greek Studies at the University with a visiting professor from Greece in the coming academic semester, as well as a new collaboration between the Greek Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies and the Greek chair of the JNU.
While in New Delhi, Dendias received a call by his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, who expressed his gratitude to Greece on behalf of his government and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the humanitarian aid Greece has sent to Mariupol.
