PM Modi’s visit to Greece

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• India-Greece Bilateral Relationship
• Historical Linkages between India and Greece
• Political linkages between India and Greece
• Trade & Commerce between India and Greece
• Defence Cooperation between India and Greece
• Science & Technology between India and Greece
• Cultural cooperation between India and Greece
• Indian Community at Greece
• News Summary: PM Modi’s visit to Greece
• Key highlights of the visit?

Why in news?

• Following his visit to South Africa to attend 15^th BRICS summit, PM Modi paid an official visit to Greece on 25 August 2023.
• This was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Greece in 40 years.

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India-Greece Bilateral Relationship

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

Historical Linkages

• India’s contacts with Greece began over 2500 years ago. Trading between the Mauryan Kings and Greece is evidenced by coinage and writings. 
• In 326 BC, Alexander’s expedition led him to the North-Western part of the Indian subcontinent as far as the Hyphasis (Beas River), where he fought with King Porus, King of Pauravaa – (between the Jhelum and Chenab), and Ambhi who ruled at Taxila.
• Chanakya, in Chandragupta’s Court records in Arthashastra about Yavan Ambassador in the Kings’ court, named Megasthenes.
• Gandhara art is believed to be a fusion of Indian and Greek influences.

Political linkages

• Diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in May 1950. Greece opened its Embassy in Delhi in 1950 and India in Athens in 1978.
• On J&K, Greece’s position reflects our concerns. It has not issued any statement on the recent developments in Kashmir.
• Greece supports India’s quest for permanent seat in an expanded UNSC.

Trade & Commerce

• Two-way trade has grown from $507 million in 2016-17 to $1.94 billion in 2022-23.
• The main Export items from India to Greece are Aluminum, organic chemicals; fish and crustaceans; iron and steel; plastic; textile articles etc.
• The main import items from Greece are Aluminium foil; mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; sulphur; lime and cement etc.

Defence Cooperation

• Bilateral defence cooperation received an impetus after the visit of Raksha Mantri to Greece in 1994.
• Since then, the two countries regularly cooperate with each other on defence related matters.
• INS Chennai naval ship of Indian Navy visited Souda Bay, Crete in July, 2023 and undertook a Passage Exercise with the Hellenic Naval Ship in the Aegian Sea.

Science & Technology

• With the aim of encouraging and supporting cooperation in the field of science and technology on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, the Agreement on Science & Technology was signed in April 2007.
• A team of 7 scientists from ISRO/DoS participated in the 44th Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) assembly at Athens in July, 2022.
• On the sidelines, opportunities for cooperation in Space between India and Greece were explored.

Culture

• Dimitrios Galanos a Greek, became the first European Indologist gaining world reputation.
• His translations of Sanskrit texts into Greek made knowledge of the philosophical and religious ideas of India available to many Europeans.
• A “Dimitrios Galanos” Chair for Hellenic Studies has been established at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India in September 2000.
• Nicholas Kazanas, a distinguished Greek Indologist, was declared as one of the awardees of the prestigious Padma Shri award on the occasion of the 72nd Republic Day of India 2021.

Indian Community

• According to 2011 Greek census, the number of Indian community is 11,333. Currently, they are estimated to be between 13000-14000.
• They have been living across various parts of Greece for many years and are predominantly from Punjab and largely Sikhs.

News Summary: PM Modi’s visit to Greece

• At the invitation of Prime Minister H.E. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid an official visit to the Hellenic Republic recently.

Key highlights of the visit

• PM Modi conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour
  • PM Modi was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour by Katerina N. Sakellaropoulou, President of Greece.
  • He became the first foreign Head of Government to receive this honour.
• Decision to upgrade Greek-Indian bilateral ties
  • The leaders of both the countries decided to upgrade Greek-Indian bilateral ties to the level of a “Strategic Partnership”.
  • They agreed to work to further expand bilateral cooperation in political, security and economic spheres.
• Decision to double bilateral trade by 2030
  • Appreciating the increase in bilateral trade and economic engagement in recent years, the leaders also directed that both sides shall work to double bilateral trade by 2030.
• Institutional dialogue framework at the level of National Security Advisers
  • The two sides also agreed to have an institutional dialogue framework at the level of National Security Advisers besides vowing to strengthen defence industrial cooperation.
• MOU on Cooperation in the field of Agriculture
  • This included the establishment of a Hellenic-Indian Joint Sub-committee on Agriculture for facilitating sectoral cooperation for mutual benefit.
• Cultural cooperation
  • Both the leaders also agreed to encourage joint efforts in preserving and protecting ancient sites, and strengthen cooperation within UNESCO.
• Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement (MMPA)
  • Both leaders agreed that an early finalization of a Mobility and Migration Partnership Agreement (MMPA).
  • This agreement would be mutually beneficial, facilitating in particular the free movement of workforce between the two countries.
    • Describing ties between India and Greece as a “natural reunion”, PM Modi said this agreement would facilitate skilled migration between the two countries.

Q1) What is Gandhara art? 

 Gandhara art refers to a distinctive style of Buddhist art that flourished in the Gandhara region, which encompasses parts of modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan, from the 1st century BCE to the 5th century CE. This artistic tradition emerged at a time when these regions were part of the larger Gandhara region and were influenced by various cultures, including Greek, Roman, Persian, and Indian.

Q2) Who was Nicholas Kazanas?

Nicholas Kazanas is a contemporary scholar known for his work in the fields of linguistics, comparative mythology, and the history of ancient Indian literature. He has made contributions to the understanding of Indo-European linguistics, particularly in relation to the Sanskrit language, as well as the reconstruction of ancient Indo-European culture and mythology.

Source: Modi, Greece PM agree on strategic partnership, doubling trade by 2030 | Embassy of India in Athens | MEA