Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the visiting Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Wednesday in New Delhi and agreed to deepen cooperation in defence manufacturing and space while advocating better connectivity between the two countries
After holding the talks, The Indian Express reported, Modi also said that they discussed concluding the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between the two countries as soon as possible.
Mitsotakis said the world today is facing unprecedented challenges that require immediate and efficient action, and India has a critical role to play in this. “We view India as one of the main pillars of stability and security in the wider region of the Indo-Pacific,” he said.
Describing the discussions as “very significant and useful”, Prime Minister Modi said, “The growing cooperation in defence and security reflects our deep mutual trust. With the formation of a Working Group in this area, we will be able to increase mutual coordination on common challenges like defence, cyber security, counter-terrorism, and maritime security. New opportunities for co-production and co-development are being created in defence manufacturing in India, which can be beneficial for both the countries. We have agreed to link the defence industries of both the countries.”
“India and Greece have common concerns and priorities in the fight against terrorism. We discussed in detail how to further strengthen our cooperation in this area,” Modi said.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said the two leaders discussed ways to bolster connectivity including through India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and that the private sector would be encouraged to roll out bilateral flight services.
Modi said, “It is a matter of joy that we are rapidly moving towards the target of doubling bilateral trade by 2030. We identified several new opportunities to give new energy and direction to our cooperation. There are many possibilities for closer cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture. We emphasised on increasing cooperation in many areas like Pharma, Medical Devices, Technology, Innovation, Skill Development, and Space.”
“We also discussed connecting the start-ups of both the countries. Shipping and Connectivity are topics of high priority for both the countries. We also discussed increasing cooperation in these areas,” Modi said.
Modi framed the two countries as ancient and great civilisations, as he said, “As two ancient and great civilizations, India and Greece have a long history of deep cultural and people-to-people ties. For almost two and a half thousand years, people of both the countries have been exchanging trade and cultural relations as well as ideas.”
“We also emphasised on promoting cooperation between higher education institutions of the two countries. We have decided to prepare an Action Plan to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Greece next year. With this, we will be able to showcase the common heritage, and achievements of both the countries in science and technology, innovation, sports, and other fields on the global stage,” the Prime Minister said.
Modi said that they also discussed many regional and international issues. “We agree that all disputes and tensions should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy,” he said.
“We welcome Greece’s active participation and positive role in the Indo-Pacific. It is a matter of joy that Greece has decided to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. There has also been agreement for cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Launched during India’s G-20 chairmanship, the IMEC will contribute significantly to the development of humanity in the long run,” the PM said.
He said that Greece can also become an important partner in this initiative. “We agree to reform the UN and other global institutions so that they can be made contemporary. India and Greece will continue their efforts to contribute to global peace and stability,” he said.
India-Greece relations were elevated to ‘strategic partnership’ following Modi’s trip.
The Greek prime minister’s visit to India came around six months after Modi’s trip to that country.
Earlier in the day, Mitsotakis was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the fore-court of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the Greek prime minister.
“Delighted to call on Prime Minister @kmitsotakis of Greece today. Valued his commitment to enhancing India-Greece ties. Look forward to the strengthening of our strategic partnership,” Jaishankar posted on X.
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