India, Greece elevate ties to strategic level; vow to double bilateral trade

India and Greece on Friday elevated their ties to strategic partnership, vowed to double bilateral trade by 2030 and agreed to seal a migration and mobility pact soon with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis deciding to give a fresh momentum to the overall relations.

Modi, who arrived in Athens from Johannesburg in the first visit to Greece by an Indian prime minister in 40 years, said both sides decided to expand cooperation in areas of defence and security, infrastructure, agriculture, education and new and emerging technologies.

In reflection of their growing congruence in areas of defence and security, the two sides, following the Modi-Mitsotakis talks, agreed to set up an institutional dialogue at the level of national security advisors, and boost defence industrial cooperation.

Flanked by Mitsotakis, Modi said in his media statement that both India and Greece support diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the Ukraine crisis, adding both sides have "excellent coordination" on geopolitical, international and regional issues including that of the Indo-Pacific.

"This is the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Greece after a gap of 40 years. Still, neither the depth of our relations has diminished, nor has there been any decrease in the warmth of our relations," he said.

"Therefore, today the prime minister and I have decided to take the India-Greece partnership to a 'strategic' level," he added.

"We have decided that we will strengthen our strategic partnership by expanding our cooperation in the fields of defense and security, infrastructure, agriculture, education, new and emerging technology, and skill development," Modi said.

On his part, Mitsotakis, welcoming Modi, said "today, the most populous, largest democracy on the planet is coming to the first democracy on earth."

He said Greece is very pleased to upgrade its ties with India to strategic partnership, adding both sides are ready to "walk side by side to deal with various challenges, especially in a period of international turmoil and war in Ukraine -- events that make it even more imperative to observe the UN Charter".

Mitsotakis said both sides are fully united in the goal of maintaining maritime security and the need for adherence to the Convention on the Law of the Sea as it is crucial in view of concerns over situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific.

He said having a direct air connectivity between India and Greece was also discussed as he highlighted the "great opportunities" in tourism.

In his remarks, Modi said the two sides also discussed mutual cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism and cyber security. An agreement on agricultural cooperation was also signed following the talks.

The discussions covered digital payments, shipping, pharma, tourism, culture, education and people to people ties.

The two leaders also deliberated on regional and multilateral issues, including the European Union, Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean, and called for respect of international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to the ministry of external affairs. 

Describing ties between India and Greece as a "natural reunion", Modi said a migration and mobility partnership agreement will be inked "soon" to facilitate skilled migration between the two countries.

In the area of defence and security, he said both sides agreed to give a boost to defence industries, along with military-to-military ties.

"We decided that there should be an institutional platform for dialogue even at the level of our national security advisors," Modi said.

"The prime minister and I agree that our bilateral trade is growing rapidly and there is immense potential for further growth. Therefore, we have set a target of doubling our bilateral trade by the year 2030," he added.

Modi said both sides believed that by encouraging trade and investment, the bilateral industrial and economic cooperation can be taken to a new level.

"We also discussed national and international issues. Greece expressed its support for the India-EU trade and investment agreement," he said.

"In the case of Ukraine, both countries support diplomacy and dialogue," he said.

The prime minister said he is grateful to his Greek counterpart for his "good wishes and encouragement" regarding India's presidency of the G20.

He also expressed condolences for the loss of lives in the tragic incidents of forest fires in Greece.

Modi thanked the people of Greece and the country's President Katerina N Sakellaropoulou for awarding him with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour award.

"I accepted the award on behalf of 140 crore Indians and expressed my gratitude," he said.

Mitsotakis congratulated Modi on the success of the Chandrayaan mission, terming it as a success for humanity.

"India has made huge strides. Congratulations again on your technological achievement, the conquest of the south pole of the Moon," he said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Greece in June 2021.

During the visit, both sides explored ways to expand overall bilateral ties and called for following fundamental international principles of rule of law and respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity.

They also denounced radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism, in a clear signal of their growing convergence on key geopolitical challenges.