India and Greece on Friday agreed to upgrade bilateral ties to the level of strategic partnership. Announcing the decision in Athens, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said two countries will collaborate in the field of defence industry and will soon conclude an agreement on migration mobility to smoothen movement of skilled population of both sides. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his comments expressed commitment to freedom of navigation and said there are “concerns” in this regard in both the Eastern Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific region.
“Today Mr. Prime Minister and I have decided to take the India-Greece partnership to a ‘strategic’ level. We have decided that we will strengthen our strategic partnership by expanding our cooperation in the fields of defence and security, infrastructure , agriculture, education, new and emerging technology, and skill development,” said Mr. Modi. The PM also said that both sides have agreed to boost defence industries and military links.
“We have decided that even at the level of our National Security Advisors, there should be an institutional platform for dialogue,” said Mr. Modi. As part of the planning to have the migration mobility agreement, Mr Modi said, both sides will promote cultural and academic exchanges between educational institutions and increase people-to-people contacts. Mr. Mitsotakis reminded that the last Indian Prime Minister to visit Greece was Indira Gandhi who toured Athens in 1983. He presented India-Greece ties from the days of Alexander the Great to the contemporary times and sought investment from Indian entities.
