PM Modi arrives in Greece on first prime ministerial visit in 40 years

PM Modi is in Greece at the invitation of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis

Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by Greece’s Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis upon his arrival at Athens International Airport, Greece, on August 25, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Greece on Friday on a daylong visit, the first by an Indian premier in 40 years, for talks with the European country’s top leadership to strengthen bilateral ties.

Mr. Modi arrived in the Greek capital from South Africa where he attended the 15th BRICS Summit and held bilateral meetings with several world leaders to further cement India's relations with those countries.

"PM @narendramodi sets foot in the historic city of Athens for his first-ever visit to Greece. Warmly greeted by FM George Gerapetritis at the airport," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Mr. Modi is here at the invitation of Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Prime Minister Modi will hold talks with Prime Minister Mitsotakis to discuss ways to further deepen the relationship. He is also expected to meet President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

"A packed day of engagements lie ahead in Athens. He will lay a wreath at the Tomb of an unknown soldier. He will thereafter meet the President of Greece and hold talks with the Prime Minister of Greece," Mr. Bagchi said in the video uploaded alongside the post.

He will also interact with business leaders from both countries, as well as with the Indian community in Greece during his day-long visit.

"He will also meet business leaders from both sides. Before departing he will interact with the community who are excited to see him after the success of the Chandrayaan mission. All in all a productive day ahead," he said.

The Indian community in Greece was excited to welcome Mr. Modi.

They chanted slogans like 'Modi ji ki jai' and danced to the tunes of Bollywood numbers "Chak de' and 'Jai Ho'.

"We expect that in the future Greece and India ties will be strong. So we are expecting this from the prime minister," a community member said.

Mr. Modi had earlier said: "I have the honour to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Greece after 40 years."

The last high-level visit to Greece took place in September 1983 when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi travelled to the country.

India and Greece enjoy civilisational ties, which have strengthened in recent years through cooperation in areas like maritime transport, defence, trade and investments and people-to-people ties.