Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is on a two-day official state visit to India, was formally welcomed with a ceremonial guard of honor at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential palace in New Delhi on Wednesday morning.
The guard of honor, involving military troops in full regalia lining up on either side as a visiting dignitary walks along, is part of the formal ceremonial welcome extended to heads of state and government in India.
After receiving the ceremonial welcome, Mitsotakis said the strategic partnership between India and Greece holds great significance for his country and he looks forward to holding bilateral discussions with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
“It is a privilege to be in India on an official state visit, reciprocating the visit of the Prime Minister [Modi] to Greece a few months ago. For Greece, the strategic partnership between our two countries is of particular importance and we will have the opportunity to discuss a wide range of topics – political consultations, strategic partnership, and also fostering economic ties between our two economies. So it’s a real privilege to be here and I’m really looking forward to the discussions we will have with the Prime Minister [Modi],” Mitsotakis said.
The Greek leader is accompanied by his wife Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis and a high-level delegation including senior officials and business leaders.
Earlier in the day, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Mitsotakis and said he valued the Greek leader’s commitment to strengthening ties between the two countries and between India and Europe.
Mitsotakis arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday night. India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi welcomed him at the airport.
The Greek Prime Minister has been invited as the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker at the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics. The three-day conference begins on Wednesday.
Mitsotakis will hold in-depth discussions with Modi on Wednesday. The two leaders are expected to explore ways to further expand bilateral ties in a range of areas including trade and investment, defense, science and technology, pharmaceuticals and more.
Modi will also host a banquet lunch in honor of his Greek counterpart.
The Ministry of External Affairs said this is the first Head of State/Government level visit from Greece to India since 2008. Prime Minister Modi visited Greece in August 2023.
During that trip, the two countries elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership – the highest level of bilateral engagement. Besides New Delhi, Mitsotakis will also visit Mumbai before returning home.
The strengthened India-Greece ties, coming against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are seen as part of both countries’ efforts to diversify their key partnerships in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment.