India-Greece Relations- Explained Pointwise

India-Greece Relations is in news, with the recent visit of Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis to India. This is the first visit by a Greek prime Minister to India since 2008.

In August 2023, after the conclusion of BRICS Johannesburg Summit, PM Narendra Modi visited Greece, which was any Indian PM’s first visit to the country since Indira Gandhi last visited the country in September 1983. During the visit of the Indian PM, India and Greece elevated their cooperation to strategic partnership.

What is the history of India-Greece diplomatic relations?

India and Greece have a long history of cultural and political interactions that dates back to ancient times. There has been gradual evolution in relations from the ancient to the present times.

What is the significance of India-Greece relation?

Greece holds a lot of significance for India. Hence, there has been a constant push to deepen the relationship between India and Greece.

Geostrategic Significance

1. Gateway to Europe- Greece with its Piraeus port in the Aegean Sea, offers locational advantage to become a key Player in the recently launched IMEC corridor and serve as India’s gateway to Europe

2. Countering Chinese Influence in the Mediterranean- India’s growing connections with Greece serve as a countermeasure against China’s expanding influence in the Mediterranean region.

3. Countering trilateral alliance of Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Turkey in the Mediterranean- India’s deepened relationship with Greece and Armenia will help in the formation of a new trilateral alliance to counter the threats posed by the increasing dominance of the trilateral alliance of Azerbaijan, Pakistan and Turkey.

4. Interconnected Regional Stability- The security of the East Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean regions are interlinked, emphasizing the importance of the Greece-India partnership in global stability.

Geopolitical Significance

1. Anti-Terrorism Stand- Greece has stood firmly with India on the issue of Kashmir and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

2. Common vision on International Political Issues- India and Greece share common approach on many initiatives, including UN reforms and the Cyprus issue.

3. Shared vision of Rule based order in the seas- Both India and Greece, share the same vision of a free, open and rules-based Mediterranean Sea and Indo-Pacific, in accordance with the provisions of the UNCLOS.

Geo-Economic Significance

1. Development of Indian Shipping Industry- According to the International Trade Administration, Greece shipowners own roughly one-fifth of the world’s shipping fleet. India’s partnership with Greece in the shipping domain, will help India in modernizing its shipping industry and will create investment opportunities for Indian firms in Greek Ports. 

2. Support for Economic Cooperation with EU- Greece’s support of EU-India Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement, will help India in furthering its economic cooperation with EU.

3. Boost to India’s Defence exports- With Greece’s plans of upgrading its military arsenal by investing €10 billion in the procurement of sophisticated aircraft and armaments, has created an opportunity for India to emerge as a major defence supplier.

What is the present area of Cooperation between India and Greece?

Political Cooperation

1. Regular Exchanges between Heads of State- India and Greece have maintained cordial diplomatic ties by regular diplomatic engagements. Recent visits of premier of both the countries within the span of a year.

2. Support to India’s inclusion in multilateral Fora- Greece has supported India’s bid for inclusion in the NSG in 2008 and for inclusion in the MTCR, Wassenaar arrangements and Australia Group in 2016.

3. Participation in India led ISA- Greece has ratified the Framework Agreement on the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Economic Cooperation

1. Increasing Indian investments in Greece- Indian investments have increase in Greece’s program of privatization of public assets. For ex- GMR Group has tendered a bid for upgradation and management of Heraklion airport at Crete Island.

2. Increasing Bilateral Trade between India and Greece- The bilateral trade between the two nations has been increasing consistently, with the bilateral trade standing at $1.9 bn in 2022-23.
a. Main items of export from Greece to India are cotton, scrap (mostly aluminium, ferrous, copper and lead), marble and granite and calcium carbonate.
b. Main items of exports from India to Greece comprise petroleum products (jet fuel), automobile components and automobiles (cars and SUVs), flat rolled steel items etc.

3. Regular interactions between Indian and Greek entrepreneurs- Indian entrepreneurs, assisted by ITPO and Ministry of MSME, regularly participate in the Thessaloniki International Fair held every year in northern Greece.

Defence and security Cooperation

1. MoU on Defence Cooperation- India and Greece have signed MoU on defence cooperation in 1998, after India’s nuclear weapon test.

2. Defence exercise collaboration- Indian and Hellenic Air Forces (Greece Airforce) participated in the ‘Blue Flag’ exercise held in Israel in 2021. Indian Air Force has also participated in the multinational air exercise INIOCHOS-23 hosted by the Hellenic Air Force with four Su-30 MKI and two C-17 aircraft.

Cultural Cooperation

1. Participation in Greek dance and Musical Festivals- Cultural groups sponsored by ICCR regularly participate in Greek dance and music festivals. ICCR also offers one scholarship every year to the Greek students to study in India.

2. Promotion of Indian Culture in Greece- Several organizations like Indo-Hellenic Society for Culture and Development (ELINEPA), Shantom Indian Dance Center, Art of Living Hellas, Brahma Kumari Center, are active in propagation and promotion of Indian culture in Greece.

What are the Challenges in India-Greece Relations?

1. Global Geopolitical volatility- The deepening of India-Greece relations is challenged by the recent global geopolitical volatilities. For ex- Recent escalations of tensions in Red Sea, which disrupts the trade route between India and Greece.

2. Triad of Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan in Mediterranean region- India’s growing ties with Greece face the challenge of triad of Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Pakistan, who have been working to extend their geopolitical influence in the Mediterranean, Middle-east and Central Asian region.

3. Low bilateral trade and investment- The low bilateral trade and investment between India and Greece challenges the deepening of India-Greece economic relations.

What should be the way forward for India-Greece Relations?

India-Greece geostrategic and geopolitical relation must be taken forward in the following way, so that India becomes a major pole of the emerging new international order uniting three major seas (Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and Gulf) and three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa).

1. Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement (MMPA)- Early finalization of Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement (MMPA) will facilitate skilled migration, between the two countries.

2. Extensive Military Cooperation memoranda- Extensive military cooperation memoranda will lay the basis for joint exercises, technology and intelligence sharing.

3. Robust Connectivity- The connectivity between India and Greece must be enhanced by the establishment of more direct flights between the two countries.

4. Educational exchange programmes and Academic collaborations- The university student exchange programmes, cultural exchanges and scholarships must be increased for increasing the P-P connect between the two countries.