 "Civilisational partners: Strategic affinities strengthen India and Greece ties")
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis paid a state visit to India on February 21–22, 2024. This was the first visit by a Greek PM to India after a gap of 15 years, the last visit having been undertaken by the then Greek PM Kostas Karamanlis in January 2008.
In addition, this visit came within six months of the visit by PM Narendra Modi to Greece in August 2023. The visit by PM Modi to Greece was after a long gap of 40 years. The last visit of an Indian PM to Greece took place in 1983!
The Greek PM was accompanied by a strong delegation of 63 CEOs and industry leaders from top Greek companies to explore possibilities of further expansion of bilateral economic and commercial ties.
Mitsotakis also inaugurated, along with PM Modi, the ninth edition of the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, and delivered the keynote address on February 21, 2024.
Current Status
India has enjoyed long-standing, warm, and friendly relations with Greece, marked by consistent support for each other on issues of strategic national interest and core concern to them, such as Kashmir to India and Cyprus to Greece.
On Jammu and Kashmir, Greece’s position has fully reflected India’s concerns. It did not issue any statement on the recent developments in Kashmir, including the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A. Greece supports India’s quest for a permanent seat in an expanded UNSC.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThis was reiterated to loud applause by PM Mitsotakis in his keynote address at the Raisina Dialogue. Greece supported India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008. It supported New Delhi’s membership in the MTCR, WASSENAAR arrangements, and Australia Group in 2016, along with India’s candidature for several UN bodies.
Following India’s nuclear tests in May 1998, when most Western countries imposed sanctions against India, the Greek Defence Minister visited India in December 1998 (the first Defence Minister from a NATO country to visit India after the tests) and signed an MoU on defence cooperation.
Political Ties
Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in May 1950. Greece opened its embassy in Delhi in 1950, and India did the same in Athens in 1978. The relationship has progressed smoothly over the last seven decades.
On the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)/National Register of Citizenship (NRC), the reorganisation of the new Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh, and the judgement on the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, the official stand of Greece is that these are internal affairs of India.
Greece strongly condemned the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008. Soon after the Pulwama terrorist attack in February 2019, it issued a statement condemning the attack in strong terms. During the India-EU Porto Summit held on May 8, 2021, the Greek PM expressed Greece’s full solidarity and support for India in the EU.
During the visit of EAM in June 2021, the framework agreement on the International Solar Alliance was signed, which was ratified by the Greek Parliament on March 15, 2022.
The Visit
India and Greece upgraded their bilateral engagement to a strategic partnership during the visit of PM Modi to Athens in August 2023. During the current visit, the two leaders ‘’reaffirmed the Strategic Partnership and instructed their teams to continue upgrading the bilateral agenda further and forging cooperation in all dimensions of political, economic, security, defence, maritime, shipping, and cultural cooperation.’’
Both India and Greece are historical maritime powers. The two PMs ‘’reinforced their commitment to a free, open, and rules-based Mediterranean Sea and Indo-Pacific in accordance with the international law of the sea as reflected in UNCLOS and with full respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and freedom of navigation to the benefit of maritime security and international peace and stability.‘’
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) came up for detailed discussion during the deliberations. This is reflective of the keen interest of the two countries in advancing this project. On the heels of the substantive discussions that took place during the visit of PM Modi to the UAE on February 14, the fruitful discussions between PMs Modi and Mitsotakis provided a further shot in the arm for this ambitious initiative.
During discussions, PM Mitsotakis projected Greece as the gateway to Europe for India. The leaders agreed that the project will enhance ‘’connectivity between India and Europe through engagement and cooperation among the countries of the region, including in the fields of trade, commerce, investment, technology, energy, logistics, ports, and infrastructure.’’
PM Mitsotakis expressed Greece’s interest in joining the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative, which seeks to manage, conserve, and sustain the maritime domain. This was warmly welcomed by PM Modi, who acknowledged Greece’s leadership on maritime issues.
The two leaders reaffirmed their shared objectives to advance defence cooperation, including defence industrial collaboration and innovation.
Bilateral commercial cooperation between the two countries has registered impressive growth over the last few years. It reached a level of 1.32 billion euros in 2022, which was 58 per cent higher than the previous year.
In accordance with the objective of doubling bilateral trade by 2030, which was agreed to in Athens in 2023, PM Mitsotakis held meetings with Indian business leaders in New Delhi and Mumbai. He invited Indian businesses to seize the opportunities provided by the re-invigorated Greek economy and invest in Greece in ports, logistics, energy, and supply chains.
The two sides emphasised the implementation of the MoUs between Enterprise Greece and CII, Enterprise Greece and FICCI, and the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry with FICCI.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the advanced stage of introducing the Indian-developed Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to the Greek financial system and noted the progress being made in facilitating cross-border money transfers between India and Greece with the signing of the MoU between Eurobank and NPCI (UPI).
It was decided that India and Greece would work to enhance cooperation in space, science, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and clean technologies or renewable energy.
They highlighted the enormous potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for promoting economic and social goals and cooperation, with a focus on e-governance and e-public service delivery, including e-learning, telemedicine, and the reskilling and up-skilling of young talent in areas of new and emerging technologies.
The PMs referred to the importance of tourism as a key sector for continued economic growth. It was agreed to encourage the private sector to establish direct flights between Greece and India. This is an issue that was also discussed during the visit by PM Modi in August last year. Direct flights between the two countries would add significantly to bilateral tourist flows and enhance people-to-people understanding and cooperation.
The two leaders agreed to a speedy conclusion of the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement (MMPA) between the two countries that would facilitate labour mobility between the two countries. India has signed such agreements with a number of countries in Europe and other regions. These are win-win instruments of cooperation as they respond to the urgently felt needs of all countries concerned. The highly trained and disciplined Indian diaspora has acquitted itself creditably in many countries around the world. It will also be an asset to Greece once the MMPA is signed and implemented.
Both leaders appreciated the long-standing cultural exchanges and enrichment between India and Greece, particularly the role of Greek Indologists and Indian Hellenists. They welcomed efforts to promote bilateral exchanges in music, dance, theatre, films, literature, museums, archives, and festivals.
The two leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to deepen the India-EU Strategic Partnership and to work together in the implementation of the India-EU Connectivity Partnership. They reiterated their firm support for the ongoing negotiations for an India-EU Free Trade Agreement.
The two leaders recalled their strong condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations (including cyber-terrorism), whenever, wherever, and by whomever it was committed, as well as the use of terrorist proxies for cross-border terrorism. Both reiterated the urgent need for all countries to take immediate, sustained, verifiable, and irreversible action in this regard.
The leaders affirmed their commitment to achieving comprehensive reforms of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in order to realistically reflect the international system. India reiterated its support for Greece’s UNSC candidature for the term 2025–26; Greece expressed its support for India’s bid for the term 2028–29
At the Raisina Dialogue
In his keynote address, PM Mitsotakis said, “Today, India is a great power on the world stage, an important ally in the pursuit of peace and security, a rising force at the heart of the G20, and a leading player in the fight against climate change." Speaking on the India-Greece relationship, PM Mitsotakis said that it is a moment to both reflect upon and celebrate the strength of a partnership between India and Greece. “A partnership between two allies, two countries that share similar values. A partnership between the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy.”
He asserted that strong relations with India are a foremost priority for Greece and should be for the European Union as well. India and Greece don’t see democracy as a barrier but as an enabler for the better delivery of governance. He added, “We are at a unique moment of mutually beneficial opportunity, one in which Greece, given its geographic, cultural, and strategic proximity, can act as an interlocutor between India and Europe.”
He declared that the conflict in Ukraine transcended local boundaries and should not be viewed merely as a European conflict. He highlighted India’s voice as one that should be heard on the international stage. PM Mitsotakis declared that “India’s example convincingly challenges any flawed notion that significant scale is a barrier to democracy. You are an example to the world, an example which should be celebrated. India and Greece share a commitment to democracy and a belief in the virtues of discussion, debate, and the preservation of democratic ideals.”
The Greek premier underscored the ongoing evolution of democracy. “Democracies are constant works in progress facing a range of unprecedented threats.” He asserted that India has emerged today as a ‘’consensus builder and a voice of reason’’. He extended Greece’s support for the reform of the United Nations Security Council to bring countries like India on board.
Conclusion
The state visit by Greek PM Mitsotakis, soon after the visit by PM Modi to Greece in August 2023, provided a huge impetus to the bilateral strategic partnership concluded between the two countries last August. As two ancient and great civilisations, 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 countries have been exchanging trade and cultural relations as well as ideas. All these elements were provided a big boost during the discussion, and decisions were arrived at during the visit.
In addition to discussions and agreements reached in the spheres of agriculture, pharma, medical devices, technology, innovation, skill development, start-ups, shipping, connectivity, higher education, defence, security, cyber and maritime security, and space, the two countries have enormous strategic affinities that draw them closer to each other.
Cyprus is to Greece what Kashmir is to India. The common element in both cases is Turkey, which is a direct actor in the Cyprus conflict and an indirect player because of its strong support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue.
Active participation by Greece in the IMEC corridor, defence and security cooperation, and the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement have the potential to take bilateral ties to new heights. With pro-active establishments in both countries, the future of bilateral ties appears bright and luminous.
The writer is executive council member, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, president, Institute of Global Studies, Distinguished Fellow, Ananta Aspen Centre, and former Ambassador of India to Kazakhstan, Sweden and Latvia. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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