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India – Greece bilateral relations

India – Greece bilateral relations

History

Modern diplomatic relations between Greece and India started in May 1950. India opened its resident embassy in Athens in March 1978. The new Greek Embassy building in New Delhi was inaugurated on February 6, 2001.

The graves of Indians who died in Greece during the two World Wars are located in the memorial grounds of the cemeteries of the Allied Forces in Athens, Thessaloniki, and Lemnos. Thessaloniki was twinned with Kolkata in January 2005. India and Greece enjoy close bilateral relations, and Greece supports India’s candidature as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

Economic Relations

About 12,000–13,000 Indian people live and work in Greece.

Annual bilateral trade stands at $0,83 billion. The figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) indicate that the trade balance is consistently in deficit, to the detriment of Greece. In 2021, a deficit of €564,8 million was recorded as Greek exports amounted to €134,2 million, recording a significant increase of 74,6% compared to 2020, while imports amounted to €699,1 million, recording an increase of 68,4% compared to 2020.

Some Indian companies, like restaurants, minimarkets, and tourist agents, have started operating in Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, and other places in Greece. Greek companies also have partners in India.

An infrastructure consortium made up of India’s GMR Airports Limited (GAL) and Greece’s GEK Terna has won the tender for the construction of the new Kastelli airport in Heraklion, Crete.

India has been an honoured country at the 74th (2009) and the 84th (2019) Thessaloniki International Fairs. The first Greek Indian Business Association was established in Athens in June 2019.

LIST OF RECENT BILATERAL VISITS

• In July 2004, the Indian Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Dutt, visited Greece on the occasion of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.

• In September 2006, Speaker of the Lok Sabha Somnath Chatterjee visited Greece.

• In February 2007, Greek Finance Minister Georgios Alogoskoufis visited India.

• In April 2007, President of India Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam made an official visit to Athens.

• In January 2008, Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis visited India.

• In December 2015, Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos visited India.

• In April 2018, India’s State Minister of Agriculture, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, visited Greece.

• In June 2018, President of India Ram Nath Kovind made an official visit to Athens.

• In September 2019, India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri visited Greece and inaugurated the Indian Pavilion at the Thessaloniki International Fair.

• In June 2021, India’s Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, visited Greece.

• In March 2022, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias visited India.

• In January 2023, India’s Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Meenakashi Lekhi, visited Greece.

LIST OF BILATERAL TREATIES

  • Agreement on Cultural Exchange, 1961
  • Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation, 1967
  • Agreement for Joint Commission for Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation, 1983
  • Joint Business Council of FICCI, ASSOCHAM, and the Athens Chamber of Commerce, 1996
  • Agreement of Co-operation between the Hellenic Foreign Trade Board and the India Trade Promotion Organisation, 1996
  • Agreement on Tourism Cooperation, 1998
  • MoU on Defence Cooperation, 1998
  • MoU for Cooperation in Agriculture, 2001
  • Agreement on Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments (BIPA), 2007
  • Agreement on Co-operation in Science and Technology, 2007.
  • MOU between CII and the Federation of Greek Industries, 2007
  • MOU for cooperation between the Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), 2007.

To know more about bilateral relations between India and Greece, please download our booklet.

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To know more about India – Greece, DTAA, please download our guide.

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