Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday addressed the Indian diaspora at Athens Conservatoire. Speaking at the ceremony, PM Modi stated: "This is the month of Sawan, of Lord Shiva. In this holy month, the country has made a new achievement. India has become the first country to land in the dark zone, at the south pole (of the moon)," news agency ANI reported.
In his address to the Indian diaspora in Greece's capital, PM Modi also noted various development achievements by his administration over the previous nine years, emphasising that never before has so much investment been made in infrastructure development.
Since 2014, more than 25 lakh kilometres of optical fibre cable have been constructed in India, which he observed is more than six times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. He remarked, amid applause from the crowd, that India had introduced indigenous 5G technology to over 700 districts in record time.
According to him, India currently has the world's highest-altitude rail bridge and motorable road, as well as the largest cricket stadium and tallest statue.
Highlighting the successful Chandrayaan 3 mission, PM Modi stated: "By hoisting the Tiranga (on the moon), we have made the world aware of India's capabilities. Congratulatory messages are pouring in from across the world...The social media is full of congratulatory messages. When the achievement is this big, its celebration also continues. Your faces say that wherever you might be in the world, India beats in your heart...I congratulate you once again on the grand success of Chandrayaan-3."
Referring to India's historic feat of landing a spacecraft on the Moon, he stated that during times of celebrations and festivals, one wishes to be among family members. "I'm now among my family members," he explained.
Congratulations on the successful lunar mission have been flooding in from all around the world, according to Modi, who added that Indians all over the world are getting messages of congratulations.
He highlighted that the success came just days before the Raksha Bandhan celebration and alluded to social media photographs of Mother India giving its Rakhi in the shape of Chandrayaan-3 and the Moon welcoming it.
He highlighted that India was the first country to land a mission on the Moon's "dark" zone - the south pole.
He claimed that the Indian economy is thriving, with prominent global institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF complimenting it. Leading firms are competing to invest in India, he added, claiming that the country's position in the post-COVID-19 international order is rapidly shifting.
PM Modi spoke to ancient links between India and Greece and commended the work of Sikh gurus in developing such ties. His administration has worked hard to commemorate Sikh-related events, he continued.
Guru Nanak had travelled extensively across Greece, spreading his message of peace and fraternity. Modi said that his birthplaces, Vadnagar in Gujarat and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, had been thriving from ancient times, similar to Athens.
Noting that his administration has lifted more than 13.5 crore people out of poverty, he stated that as the country's economy grows, so does people's income, leading to increased investment from them.
During various crises, such as the Russia-Ukraine crisis or the fighting in Afghanistan, India has prioritised the protection of its nationals, he added.
He further stated that the Indian government returned Sikh'saroop' (physical replicas of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib) from Afghanistan with complete respect.
Promoting tourism in India, Modi stated that in the same manner that Indians visit Greece, Greeks would soon begin visiting to India to see its rich legacy and bio-diversity.
He invited Indian diaspora people to remind their Greek friends about different attractions in India, such as the nation possessing over 8% of world bio-diversity and 75% of tiger population while having just 2.5% of the continent. "Today's India is celebrating its heritage and also linking it with development," he said.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens.
Following the wreath-laying ceremony, PM Modi was also given a guard of honour.
PM Modi arrived in Greece on Friday for his first visit at the request of his Greek colleague, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. PM Modi was met at Athens International Airport by Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis.
When he arrived at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, the Indian community gathering there greeted him with cries of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai,' 'Modi, Modi,' and 'Modi, Modi.'
Members of the Indian community were seen waving the tricolour and pounding drums to commemorate PM Modi's visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in almost 40 years.
PM Modi chatted with youngsters and their parents at the hotel. A little girl presented PM Modi with a Greek headpiece and briefly talked with him, showing him a drawing she had created. The young lady also snapped a selfie with Prime Minister Modi.
PM Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Greece in the recent 40 years. India's last Prime Ministerial visit to Greece was in 1983. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece's Prime Minister, visited New Delhi in 2019.
On the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2019, Prime Minister Modi met with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in New York.
India and Greece have civilizational links that have become stronger in recent years as a result of collaboration in sectors such as marine transport, defence, commerce and investment, and people-to-people ties.