Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday held bilateral talks in New Delhi during the latter's two-day visit to India. Following the meeting, heads of both nations issued a joint statement wherein they addressed the global challenges of war in Ukraine and the Middle East, climate change, and energy security among others.
"...The world today is facing unprecedented challenges that require immediate and efficient action from the ongoing war in Ukraine to the situation in the Middle East - from climate change to food, energy security," said the Greek PM.
"One thing is certain in order for governments to tackle them, international partnerships and collective action is paramount and India has a critical role to play in this," he said.
"We view India as one of the main pillars of stability and security in the wider region of Indo Pacific...," PM Mitsotakis said.
PM Modi also highlighted India and Greece as "two ancient and great civilisations" having a "long history of deep cultural and people-to-people ties."
"For around 2500 years, people of both countries exchanged ideas, besides trade and cultural relations. Today, we identified several new initiatives to modernise these relations...," Modi said.
He said that the two countries have decided to prepare an action plan to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Greece next year.
The action plan will "enable us to showcase the common heritage of our two countries in science and technology, innovation and other areas on the global stage...," he added.
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"...We welcome Greece's active participation and positive role in the Indo-Pacific. It is a matter of happiness that Greece has decided to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. We agree that all disputes and tensions should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy...," said PM Modi.
Earlier in the day, the Greek PM and his wife Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotaki received a ceremonial guard of honour at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan where they were received by PM Modi.