Welcome Greece's active participation and positive role in Indo-Pacific: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that India welcomes Greece's active participation and positive role in the Indo-Pacific and called it a matter of happiness that Greece has taken the decision to be part of the Indo-Pacific Oceans initiative.

In his press statement alongside Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, PM Modi said, "In today's meeting we also discussed many regional and international issues. We agree that all disputes and tensions should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. We welcome Greece's active participation and positive role in the Indo-Pacific."

"It is a matter of happiness that Greece has decided to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. There has also been agreement for cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Launched during India's presidency of the G20, the IMEC Corridor will make a significant contribution to the development of humanity in the long run. Greece can also become an important partner in this initiative," he added.

PM Modi said that he and Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed to reform United Nations and other global institutions. He stated that the two nations will continue their efforts to contribute to global peace and stability.

PM Modi said, "We agreed to reform the UN and other global institutions, so that they can be made contemporary. India and Greece will continue their efforts to contribute to global peace and stability."

PM Modi said he and Kyriakos Mitsotakis have decided to prepare an action plan to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Greece in 2025.

He said, "We also emphasized on promoting cooperation between higher education institutions of the two countries. We decided to prepare an Action Plan to celebrate the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Greece next year. With this, we will be able to showcase the common heritage, achievements of both the countries in science and technology, innovation, sports and other fields on the global stage."

Calling his discussions with Kyriakos Mitsotakis "meaningful and useful", PM Modi said that the two nations are rapidly heading towards doubling bilateral trade by 2030. He expressed happiness that India and Greece are taking steps to implement the agreements reached in this area in 2023. He stated that he and Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed on increasing cooperation in many sectors, including space, skill development, technology, pharma and medical devices.

PM Modi said, "Our discussions today were very meaningful and useful. It is a matter of happiness that we are rapidly heading towards doubling bilateral trade by 2030. We identified several new opportunities to give new energy and direction to our cooperation. There are many possibilities for closer cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture."

He added, "And I am pleased that both sides are taking steps to implement the agreements reached in this area last year. We emphasized on increasing cooperation in many areas like pharma, medical devices, technology, innovation, skill development, and space."

He called shipping and connectivity topics of high priority for India and Greece and discussed increasing cooperation in these areas with the Greek PM. PM Modi noted that India and Greece have common concerns and priorities in the fight against terrorism.

PM Modi said, "We also discussed connecting the start-ups of both countries. Shipping and connectivity are topics of high priority for both the countries. We also discussed increasing cooperation in these areas."

Announcing the formation of Working Group between India and Greece in defence and security, he said, "The growing cooperation in defense 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, counter-terrorism, and maritime security."

He said, "New opportunities for co-production and co-development are being created in defense manufacturing in India, which can be beneficial for both the countries. We have agreed to connect the defence industries of both the countries. India and Greece have common concerns and priorities in the fight against terrorism. We discussed in detail how to further strengthen our cooperation in this area."

He noted that India and Greece have a long history of deep cultural and people-to-people ties. He stated that people of both nations have been exchanging trade and cultural ties as well as ideas.

He said, "As two ancient and great civilizations, India and Greece have a long history of deep cultural and people-to-people ties. For almost two and a half thousand years, people of both the countries have been exchanging trade and cultural relations as well as ideas."

"Today we identified several new initiatives to give a modern form to these relations. We discussed concluding the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement between the two countries as soon as possible. This will further strengthen our people-to-people relations," he added.

PM Modi and his Greek counterpart delivered press statements after holding bilateral and delegation level talks. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra were present in the delegation level talks.