New Delhi: The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu who is presently in Brussels to attend the ASEM Summit 2018, had a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Alexis Tsipras, at the EU headquarters building earlier yesterday. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the regular high-level contacts between the two countries and agreed to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two nations through greater economic and people to people exchanges.
India and Greece have traditional long-standing ties which go back to antiquity. Prime Minister Tsipras recalled the successful visit to Greece by Rashtapathi ji in June 2018. He informed the Vice President about the economic conditions of Greece and the efforts taken by the government to restore stability to the financial system. He commended that the growth of the Indian economy over the last few years has had a positive influence on the global economic situation. He encouraged Indian companies to consider investing in Greece, particularly in the port sector. He also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Greece at an opportune time.
The Vice President thanked Prime Minister Tsipras for inviting India as the “Honored Country” at the Thessaloniki International Fair in 2019. He said that India will be represented at the Fair with a strong business delegation. He also briefed Prime Minister Tsipras on India’s economic situation and the efforts being taken by the government to promote inclusive growth through the various developmental programmes and flagship initiatives. He called for greater tourism flows between the two countries.
The Vice President thanked Greece for its support for India’s membership to the various export control regimes and for its consistent support for India’s candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed and expanded UN Security Council. He also talked about the Greek scholar Demetrios Galanos who had translated, among other texts, the Bhagvad Gita into Greek.
