Modi is first PM in 40 years to visit Greece: Why this trip matters

After wrapping up the 15th BRICS summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg where it was announced that six more countries – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Argentina, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia – will become full members from 1 January 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making his way to Greece on 25 August for a day-long visit. The visit to the Mediterranean island comes at the invitation of Greece’s prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and it is being reported that PM Modi will sign several agreements and focus on issues such as trade and investment, shipping, migration and defence cooperation. A Times of India report also added that Greece may seek India’s help in the privatisation of its airports and seaports, aiming to become the gateway to Europe for India. Ahead of his visit, here’s why his Greece trip matters and what to expect. A first in 40 years On his departure from Johannesburg, PM Modi will fly to Athens, the Greek capital, where on arrival he will be accorded a ceremonial welcome. A preliminary itinerary reveals that PM Modi will visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of the Parliament building in Athens. Incidentally, it is the second most visited monument in Greece after the Acropolis. This will be followed by restricted delegation-level talks with Greece prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and then both leaders will jointly address key business leaders of the two countries. Reports have said that PM Modi will also interact with the Indian diaspora in Athens. India has a sizeable Indian population – there’s an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 of them. The Indian diaspora has hailed Modi’s decision to visit the country, with one Manoj Kumar Chouhan telling news agency ANI, “PM Modi is coming here, and we are excited about it.” Notaly, Modi’s Greece visit is the first by an Indian prime minister in 40 years; Indira Gandhi was the last Indian leader to visit the Mediterranean country back in 1983. Modi’s visit comes after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the country in 2021 and revived ties between the two nations. It was then that Greece had signed the Framework Agreement to the International Solar Alliance and also extended support to India on Missile Technology Control Regime agreement. [caption id=“attachment_13035812” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar with Greek foreign minister Nikos Dendias during a 2021 engagement. File image/Reuters[/caption] Prior to all of this, former Greek prime minister Andreas Papandreou had visited India three times – in November 1984 for Indira Gandhi’s funeral, in January 1985 for a summit on nuclear disarmament, and in January 1986 as the chief guest for India’s Republic Day celebrations. Agenda of the meeting The Ministry of External Affairs told the media before Modi’s departure to Johannesburg that the Greece visit is important and India saw the country as “one of the most important European partners of India”. Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra had also said: “Both India and Greece are not just modern democracies, but we also share close and age-old historical and cultural relations… Both sides will look to expand and diversify the trade and investment segment of cooperation, deepen and expand the defence and security partnership, infrastructure cooperation, shipbuilding industry.” **Also read: How PM Modi's visit to Greece will help two civilisational consorts build strategic arc in eastern Mediterranean** The foreign affairs ministry said that they saw Modi’s Greece visit as an attempt to strengthen security and defence cooperation, and to increase the pace of exchanges at the military level, training personnel. Moreover, it was likely that PM Modi would invite Greek government and companies into the Make in India programme, especially in the defence sector, and consider joint production and technology exchange. Greek Ambassador to India, Dimitrios Ioannou, also echoed similar sentiments when he was interviewed by Wion. In the interview, Ioannou stated that the two countries would focus on fostering greater connectivity between India and the European Union. [caption id=“attachment_13035862” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] India’s growing connection with Greece is an efficient countermeasure against China’s expanding influence in the Mediterranean region. File image/Reuters[/caption] Significance of the Greece visit Apart from fostering greater ties and enhancing security cooperation with Greece, the visit has larger geopolitical implications. Greece has long supported India on the Kashmir matter and Modi’s visit only deepens ties with the country. This helps as Pakistan continues to push the anti-Kashmir narrative on the global stage. Moreover, India’s deepening ties with Greece will yield positive results for India in the Mediterranean region, which holds significant importance for its energy security due to its abundant oil and gas resources. India’s growing connection with Greece is also an efficient countermeasure against China’s expanding influence in the Mediterranean region. Beijing has been strengthening its economic and military presence in the area and New Delhi’s Greece visit is a perfect move to check that growing influence. According to a report published by The Federal, the alliance with Greece is also an attempt by New Delhi to take on the emerging axis of Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Interestingly, Greece has also shown increasing signs of seeking to improve ties with India as a way to counter common rival – Turkey. Athens and Ankara have been at odds for decades over a number of bilateral squabbles, including quarrels over maritime boundaries, overlapping claims to their continental shelves and the long-running Cyprus dispute. New Delhi and Ankara also share cold ties, with Turkish president Reccep Tayip Erdogan holding a belligerent stand on Kashmir , and raking it up at every United Nations address. India’s growing relationship with Greece is clear evidence that New Delhi is no longer content with playing a passive role and is seeking to expand its global influence. What are the fruits of this pursuit, however, will only be clearer in the years to come. With inputs from agencies