First Greek Prime Minister to visit India in 15 years

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is accompanied by senior officials and a business delegation on his visit to India. (Source: Pragativadi)

In addition to meetings with senior Indian leaders, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be the chief guest and keynote speaker at the 9th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

The Greek leader is expected to visit Mumbai – India's financial and economic hub – before returning to Athens.

This will be the first bilateral visit by a Greek head of state or government to India in 15 years. The last visit by a Greek Prime Minister to the country of the Ganges was in 2008.

India-Greece relations were elevated to a strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Athens in August last year - the first visit to Greece by an Indian prime minister in 40 years, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.

The Indian Prime Minister welcomed Greece's entry into the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and sought Greece's membership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI).

According to the ministry, India-Greece relations are based on shared cultural values, commitment to promoting economic growth and cooperation in the areas of security and defence, shipping and maritime affairs, and are marked by convergence on regional and global issues. The two countries also cooperate closely in various multilateral forums.

This visit by Prime Minister Mitsotakis is expected to further strengthen and deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.