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Guard Of Honour For PM Modi And PM Mitsotakis
On Wednesday, during his two-day state visit to India, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis received a ceremonial guard of honor at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. Accompanied by his wife, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis was received by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
After being welcomed with a guard of honor, the Greek Prime Minister expressed that the strategic partnership between India and Greece holds significant importance, and he is excited about having bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Modi.
He also mentioned that he feels privileged to be in India on an official state visit, reciprocating the visit of the Indian Prime Minister to Greece a few months ago. The strategic partnership between the two countries is of particular importance for Greece, and they will have the opportunity to discuss a wide range of topics, including political consultations, strategic partnership, and fostering economic relations between their two economies.
Mitsitakis stated that it is a real privilege to be in India, and he is looking forward to the discussions they will have as Prime Ministers.
The significance of Indo-Greek Relations
Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis is currently in New Delhi to attend the Raisina Dialogue. On Tuesday, he met with External Affairs Minister Jaishankar to discuss the strengthening of India-Greece and India-Europe cooperation.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Greek counterpart, Mitsotakis will hold bilateral discussions. PM Modi will also host a lunch banquet in honor of Mitsotakis.
This is the first bilateral visit from Greece to India after 15 years at the Head of State or Head of Government level. The last Prime Ministerial visit from Greece to India took place in 2008. PM Modi had visited Athens on 25 August 2023.
According to a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs, “Prime Minister Mitsotakis’s visit is expected to further strengthen and deepen the strategic partnership between India and Greece.”
India-Greece relations have been elevated to ‘Strategic Partnership’ during PM Modi’s visit to Greece in August 2023. Mitsotakis will also visit Mumbai before returning to Athens.
The Raisina Dialogue
The Raisina Dialogue is an annual multilateral conference that takes place in New Delhi, India. Since its inception in 2016, it has become India’s leading conference on geopolitics and geo-economics. The Observer Research Foundation, an independent think tank, organizes the conference in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs of India.
The conference brings together global policymakers, including heads of states, cabinet ministers, and local government officials, for a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion. It also welcomes executives from major private sector companies, along with members of the media and academia. The Dialogue is modeled after Singapore’s Shangri-La Dialogue.
