Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis commenced his state visit to India on Tuesday, receiving a warm reception from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The ceremonial welcome was extended by Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi, who greeted the Greek leader upon his arrival at the airport.
PM Mitsotakis, on his inaugural state visit to India, holds the distinguished position of Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the Raisina Dialogue 2024, a premier global conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics scheduled from February 21-23. The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, tweeted, “Warm welcome to PM @kmitsotakis of the Hellenic Republic as he arrives in New Delhi on his first State Visit to India. Received by MoS MLekhi at the airport. PM Mitsotakis is the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at #RaisinaDialogue2024.”
The Greek Prime Minister was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan. Alongside bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Modi, the agenda includes a lunch banquet hosted by Modi in honor of the visiting dignitary. PM Mitsotakis is accompanied by a high-powered business delegation and senior officials.
Prior to his meeting with Prime Minister Modi, Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis engaged in talks with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday, focusing on strengthening cooperation between the two nations and India’s collaboration with Europe.
In a symbolic gesture, PM Mitsotakis, accompanied by his wife Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis, paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in Delhi, underlining the historical and cultural ties between Greece and India.
The Raisina Dialogue 2024 is witnessing the participation of numerous foreign dignitaries, including Foreign Ministers Tobias Billstrom of Sweden, Krisjanis Karins of Latvia, DN Dhungyel of Bhutan, Gabrielius Landsbergis of Lithuania, Juraj Blanar of the Slovak Republic, and Hanke BruinsSlot of the Netherlands. The conference, organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation, aims to address global challenges.
This visit holds historical significance as it marks the first bilateral visit from Greece to India at the Head of State or Head of Government level in 15 years. The last Prime Ministerial visit from Greece to India occurred in 2008. The relationship between India and Greece was elevated to a ‘Strategic Partnership’ during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Greece in August 2023.
As part of his itinerary, PM Mitsotakis is also scheduled to visit Mumbai, further emphasizing the commitment to fostering stronger ties between the two nations.
