India Rightly Regarded As Consensus Builder: Greek PM Mitsotakis

Emphasising the importance of India's role on the global stage, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday that India today is rightly regarded as a "consensus builder" when it comes to shaping the direction of global debate or addressing challenges.

He also said that Greece can act as an interlocutor between India and Europe, given its geographic, cultural and strategic proximity.

In his address on the inaugural day of the Raisina Dialogue, he said, "I touched a little earlier on the growing importance of India's role on the international stage. It is the leading democracy in the Global South. When it comes to shaping the direction of the global debate and addressing the great challenges, India is often regarded as, and rightly so, as a consensus builder."

Further highlighting the high growth rates in the two countries, PM Mitsotakis said that mutual investment is a major goal of the bilateral ties between India and Greece.

"India is the world's fastest-growing economy. Over the past years, Greece has enjoyed some of the fastest growth rates of any European country. Mutual investment is a major goal of our bilateral relations, and I'm pleased to say that we already have some significant Greek investments here in India in many sectors, including food processing, maritime and air transport, logistics," he further said.

The PM of Greece, spoke about India's investment in Greece's infrastructure, during which he highlights GMR's construction of an airport in his home island of Crete.

The Greek PM and Prime Minister Modi graced the ninth Raisina Dialogue as the chief guest and keynote speaker.

At the event, he stated that India is already investing 'heavily' in Greece's infrastructure.

"The volume of our bilateral trade is on an upward trend, but we have agreed with Prime Minister Modi that we need to do much more and we need to set a target to double it by 2030..." he noted.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi engaged in a "productive meeting" with the visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis here on Wednesday. The discussions, spanning several crucial domains, underscored the shared commitment to enhancing bilateral ties between India and Greece.

The leaders emphasised the need for collaborative efforts to bolster cooperation in vital sectors, including shipping, connectivity, and defence. The commitment to fostering technological advancements and innovation emerged as a central theme, reflecting the shared vision for mutual growth and progress.

Mitsotakis, who is on a two-day visit to India, arrived in the national capital on Tuesday and was received by Union Minister of State for External Affairs, Meenakshi Lekhi.

This marks the first bilateral head-of-state or government-level visit from Greece to India after 15 years.

The last prime ministerial visit from Greece to India took place in 2008. PM Modi, too, visited Athens on 25 August, last year. (ANI)