Athens (Greece): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a day-long visit to Greece, on Friday stressed the civilization ties shared by India and Greece and said that the depth and warmth of the relations between the two nations have not decreased.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi after holding talks with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis here said, "Greece and India are a natural match between two ancient civilizations of the world, between two ancient democratic ideologies and between two ancient trade and cultural relations. The foundation of our relationship is ancient and strong."
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi further said that he and Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis have decided to take the relations between the two nations to a strategic level.
"After a long gap of 40 years, an Indian Prime Minister has come to Greece. Still, the depth and warmth of our relations have not decreased. So, the (Greek) Prime Minister and I have decided to take India-Greece relations to a strategic level," added Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said that the two countries have decided to increase cooperation in the areas of defence and security, infrastructure, agriculture, education, new and emerging technology and skill development and strengthen strategic partnership.
"In the area of defence and security, we have agreed to empower military relations as well as the defence industry. Today, we held discussions over mutual cooperation in the area of terrorism and cyber security. We have decided that there should also be a National Security Advisor-level dialogue platform. Prime Minister (Kyriakos Mitsotakis) and I agree that our bilateral trade is increasing rapidly and there is immense potential for an increase in the time ahead too. So, we have decided to double our bilateral trade by 2030," PM Narendra Modi said.
PM Narendra Modi also informed that an agreement has been signed for cooperation in the agriculture sector on Friday between India and Greece. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with 'The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour' by the Greek President.
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