Greece PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis to visit India on 21 February

Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be on a state visit to India from 21 to 22 February, the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement on Saturday. Mitsotakis will be in India at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation and will be the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the 9th Raisina Dialogue, 2024 in New Delhi. The Greek leader will also go to Mumbai during his two-day visit. During his visit, Mitsotakis will hold bilateral meetings with Modi after he is accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan. This is the first Head of State/government-level visit from Greece to India in 15 years. The last such visit took place in 2008. Meanwhile, PM Modi visited the country’s capital Athens on 25 August 2023 during which the relations between India and Greece were elevated to ‘Strategic Partnership’. “Prime Minister Mitsotakis’s visit is expected to further strengthen and deepen the strategic partnership between India and Greece,” the MEA statement read. India-Greece ties The foreign ministry describes the relationship between India and Greece to be based on shared cultural values, commitment to foster economic growth, collaboration in the fields of security and defence, shipping, and maritime, and marked by convergence on regional and global issues. Both countries have also seen a boost in military cooperation with the Indian Air Force’s active participation in the INIOCHOS-23 air exercise, hosted by the Hellenic Air Force, pointing towards strengthening ties. Apart from this, the Indian Navy’s INS Chennai participated in a Passage Exercise with the Hellenic Naval Ship Nikiforos Fokas. Greece is also home to many Indians who contribute significantly to further India-Greece ties and fostering people-to-people connections.