Greece and India are close to one another in many respects. Our shared values serve as a bridge that brings us closer," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday during an official visit to India, in joint statements with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi after their meeting in New Delhi. Among these shared values, Mitsotakis cited a strong commitment to international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as their loyalty to the principle of the UN charter, diplomacy and stability.
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In every area our cooperation shows great promise, not only bilaterally but also in multilateral areas, including the UN," he said. Among the main goals of his visit, Mitsotakis said, was an increase in mutual investments, as well as the doubling of bilateral trade, possibly even before 2030.

He noted the significant prospects for cooperation between Greece and India through the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC): "Greece - you just have to look at a map to realise this - is India's gateway to Europe and through IMEC we see our participation as a very important aspect of this strategic partnership... but in order to achieve this we need peace in the Middle East, and stability is the necessary condition for every project that aims to increase the prosperity of the greater region for the benefit of all countries involved."

The Greek prime minister also stressed that international partnerships and collective action were paramount for governments to tackle the great global challenges at this time. "India has a critical role to play in this endeavour and we view India as one of the main pillars of stability and security in the broader region of the Indo-Pacific...we consider our country to constitute a pillar of stability in our own region, the Eastern Mediterranean, and it is this mutual commitment to peace that has brought us so close," Mitsotakis said.

He noted that the joint declaration signed by Greece and India in Athens in August had upgraded the two countries relations to a strategic level and was already being put into practice, agreeing with Modi that significant progress has been made in deepening strategic cooperation in all spheres, including investments, security and defence, trade and technology, cyberspace, education, culture, tourism and agriculture.

"In Prime Minister Modi I have found a visionary, a principled leader and a true friend," Mitsotakis said, noting that their meeting had placed emphasis on strengthening bilateral economic relations in renewable energy infrastructure, ports and shipping and logistics and information technology, among others.
Mitsotakis also highlighted the importance of a memorandum of cooperation to be signed by the two countries on migration and mobility.

Modi: There are opportunies for closer cooperation

The Indian prime minister, on his part, described Mitsotakis' visit to India as an incredible opportunity, saying the two countries aimed to further promote their relations. He said that there were opportunities for closer cooperation and that the two countries were taking the necessary steps for this, citing defence, mobility and migration as areas for where there are new opportunities for cooperation.