India – Greece Relations: Basics Explained

Indian Prime Minister visited Greece, the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Greece in 40 years, on a day-long visit at the invitation of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.. dedicated the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour was  bestowed on PM Modi by Greece. Both countries  decided to establish a National Security Advisor (NSA)-level dialogue platform to facilitate comprehensive discussions on matters of mutual concern and interest; discussions over mutual cooperation in the area of terrorism and cyber security were also held. Both countries hailed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in Agriculture, including the establishment of a Hellenic-Indian Joint Sub-committee on Agriculture. Both countries expressed their aligned vision for maintaining a free, open, and rule-based Mediterranean Sea and Indo-Pacific region.

LEARNING FROM HOME/ WITHOUT CLASSES/ BASICS

India and Greece established diplomatic relations in May 1950. India opened its resident Embassy in Athens in March 1978. Greece is a member of both North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the European Union (EU), and its location in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea makes it a country embedded in the Western security network.

Both countries have a common commitment to democracy, peace and development the rule of law and pluralism to a social system imbued with principles of justice and equality and share common approaches to many international issues, such as UN reforms and Cyprus. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visited Greece in April 2007. Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis visited India in January 2008. Greece participated with India in the Six-National Delhi Declaration on Nuclear Disarmament in 1985.

            On March 1, 2022, a conferment ceremony was organised in Athens to present the Padma Shri Award from the President of India Ram Nath Kovind to the Greek Indologist Prof. Nicholas Kazanas for his distinguished service and contribution towards the enrichment of literature and education.

         Commercial Relations India and Greece are keen to increase their commercial and investment contacts. The first Greek Indian Business Association was established in Athens in June 2019. Greece has also supported India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and its attempts to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group. It has also joined India-led groupings such as the International Solar Alliance. It has also refrained from taking positions on India’s internal politics, including issues such as Kashmir and the Citizenship Amendment Act. The two countries held a bilateral defence exercise in the Aegean Sea in July.

                    India is major power of Asia and has a heft in global geo politics , while Greece is an essential partner in the Mediterranean Sea and a member of both NATO and the European Union. The two countries can deepen their cooperation in various fields by building on their military and diplomatic synergies. The strategic alignment of India and Greece in the new geopolitical environment would cater to the national interests of both countries encompassing Indian and Mediterranean Sea.

It will establish an arc of states starting from the southeastern Mediterranean, with the participation of Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel, and pass into the Persian Gulf, with the participation of the United Arab Emirates, and will extend as far as India.

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