Shortly after 11:00 in the morning, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Maximos Palace as part of the latter's official visit to Greece. The two leaders had a one-on-one meeting, now followed by extended talks by the two countries' delegations and, subsequently, statements to the press.
At 10:20, he was received by the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Mrs. Sakellaropoulou noted that this is a historic visit since the previous visit of an Indian prime minister was in 1983. For his part, Narendra Modi wanted to express his support for the fires raging in the country. He also expressed his condolences to the victims of the fires.
The President of the Republic also referred to India's successful venture into space, saying that it is an area of the moon that has not been explored.
In addition, speaking about the ongoing fires in the country, Mrs Sakellaropoulou underlined the urgent need for action against the climate crisis with the participation of the whole world.
Finally, Mrs Sakellaropoulou emphasised the strong ties between the two countries that have been connected since antiquity and added that the cooperation of the two countries to deepen relations in areas of mutual interest would be for the common good.
Welcoming Modi in Athens
In the morning, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Athens, who was enthusiastically received by members of the Indian community, as he is the first official of that country to visit Greece after 40 years.
The Indian Prime Minister, who arrived in the country with seven fellow businessmen, was welcomed at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Giorgos Gerpaetritis, while shortly after 10 am, he was at Syntagma Square for the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Modi himself tweeted upon his arrival: “Landed in Athens. Looking forward to a productive Greece visit aimed at deepening India-Greece friendship. I will be holding talks with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and also interacting with the Indian community."
Landed in Athens. Looking forward to a productive Greece visit aimed at deepening India-Greece friendship. I will be holding talks with @PrimeministerGR Kyriakos Mitsotakis and also interacting with the Indian community. pic.twitter.com/CaHaYoa5yb
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 25, 2023
At the same time, the Indian Prime Minister thanked the Indian community for the warm welcome, saying: "Amidst the historic landscapes of Greece, the warmth and hospitality of the Indian community shines brightly. A heartfelt thank you to them for the warm welcome."
Amidst the historic landscapes of Greece, the warmth and hospitality of the Indian community shines brightly. A heartfelt thank you to them for the warm welcome. pic.twitter.com/kJO7O5bCLu
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 25, 2023
Greece becomes a "gateway" for India in Europe
After a week that put the government on the defensive due to the large fires that raged for days unchecked and tested the endurance of the state apparatus, the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Greece, the first by an Indian prime minister since 1983 and the Indira Gandhi era come as an opportunity for Mitsotakis to shift the agenda.
However, next week's agenda-setting debate in Parliament on fires and civil protection is pending.
With careful moves made in previous years, Athens seeks to build a relationship with New Delhi with strategic characteristics. The Indian economy needs no special introduction, given that it is the fifth largest in the world while being a global player balanced between West and East.
Notably, Modi arrived in Athens on his way back from South Africa, where he will participate in the BRICS Summit.
The visit of Modi and the future visit of Mitsotakis to India that will be planned for later is, of course, the culmination of the aforementioned careful preparation that has been done. The current Minister of Defence, Nikos Dendias, welcomed the Indian Foreign Minister in Athens in 2021 while he had visited India last year.
At the same time, Indian military forces have been hosted more and more frequently in recent months in Greek military installations, with the officers from the two countries training together.
The Greek-Indian relationship has a lot to offer, given that the Indians are looking for a field for business, according to inside sources. The Indians are particularly interested in the Port of Piraeus as a transit hub for European markets. This interests Indians, especially after Brexit, and the geographical location of Greece seems ideal.
The lunch and the businessmen
At the same time, while Modi came to Athens from South Africa, a group of businessmen (9 in number) were coming from New Delhi to Athens to have a meeting with representatives of Greek businesses. India is on the foreign ministry's radar, with Deputy Minister Costas Fragogiannis preparing a large business mission to the country for the fall.
The goal of the Greek side is that the resumption of contacts at the highest level will intensify economic cooperation and connections between Greek and Indian businesses.
That is, to lead to a more significant presence of Indian groups in Greece, especially in the sectors of infrastructure (ports, airports), high technology, renewable energy sources, and tourism, and to strengthen the presence of Greek companies in India, especially in the sectors of food, medicines, shipping. It is indicative that Greek exports barely correspond to 1 euro per Indian, while India has an annual outbound tourism of 40 million high-income people.
Business opportunities will be discussed at the luncheon, which will take place at noon. On the Greek side, in addition to Mitsotakis, Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Fragogiannis and the director of the Prime Minister's economic office, Alexis Patelis, will participate.
Invited are big names in Greek business who either have synergies with Indian companies or are interested in opening up in the Greek market.
The reason for the president of BSE and managing director of TITAN Dimitris Papadopoulos, the president of the Union of Greek Shipowners and Neptune Lines Melina Travlou, Evangelos Mytilineos of the Mytilineos group, Spyros Theodoropoulos of ION, Giorgos Peristeris of TERNA, Achilleas Konstantakopoulos of TEMES, Fokionas Karavias of Eurobank and the president of the pharmaceutical industry and the company ELPEN Theodoros Tryfonas.
From the Indian side, the president of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Sanjiv Puri, the executive director of Emcure Pharmaceutical Samit Satish Mehta, the executive director of the GMR company that participates in the consortium for the airport in Kastelli Samit Satish Mehta, the director of the UPL company that is active in food technology Vikram Shroff, the director of the Indian clothing and textile giant Shahi Exports Harish Kumar Ahuja and the vice-chairman of the pharmaceutical company Intas Binish Chudgar.
The essential element of the lunch is that for some time, the executives of big business will be left alone, without prime ministers, to discuss more extensively and get to know each other better.
READ MORE: "Greece and India: A millennia-old friendship that grows stronger" - Mitsotakis' 'Times of India' article.
