Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Hyderabad House, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: As the prime ministers of the two nations met in New Delhi on Wednesday, India and Greece agreed to boost connectivity, work on the co-production and co-development of military hardware, and speed up negotiations for a migration and mobility agreement.
“The growing cooperation in defence and security reflects our deep mutual trust. With the formation of a Working Group in this area, we will be able to increase mutual coordination on common challenges like defence, cyber security, counterterrorism, and maritime security,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after a meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New Delhi.
“[There are] new opportunities for co-production and co-development are being created in defence manufacturing in India, which can be beneficial for both countries," he added.
Modi and Mitsotakis agreed to link the defence industries of India and Greece.
They also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
The two prime ministers discussed the India-Middle-East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMMEC), which was launched on September 10 last year, but came under a shadow of uncertainty after the Israel-Hamas conflict escalated in Gaza just about a month later. “Greece... you just have to look at a map to realize this... is India’s gateway to Europe and through IMMEC we see our participation as a very important aspect of this strategic partnership,” said the prime minister of Greece.
“But, in order to achieve this, we need peace in the Middle East. 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,” added Mitsotakis.
Modi said that the IMMEC corridor would contribute significantly to the development of humanity in the long run and Greece could also become an important partner in this initiative. “We agreed on concluding the migration and mobility partnership agreement between the two countries as soon as possible. This will further strengthen our people-to-people relations.”
Mitsotakis said that Greece was right at the centre of the IMMEC. “We are your natural doorstep to Europe and beyond," he said, calling the IMMEC a ‘peace project’.
The two prime ministers also agreed that all disputes and tensions should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. India welcomed Greece's active participation and positive role in the Indo-Pacific.
“Strengthening our partnership with India should be the cornerstone of Europe's foreign policy and this is certainly true for my country,” Mitsotakis later said while delivering the keynote address at the inaugural ceremony of the Raisina Dialogue – the flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics hosted by India. The theme of the three-day conference this year is 'Chaturanga: Conflict, Contest, Cooperate, Create'.