“The Port of Piraeus can play an important role in strengthening India – Greece and India – Europe connectivity,” said Piyush Goyal, India’s union minister of commerce and industry, in an interview with Kathimerini.
On the occasion of Goyal’s official visit to Athens for trade talks, Kathimerini spoke with him about the “package” of cooperation initiatives that was at the center of his discussions with the Greek government, with an emphasis on ports, renewable energy sources, and the deployment of specialized personnel to Greece.
During Prime Minister Modi’s last visit to Athens in 2023, you stated that “by awarding the Grand Cross of the Order of Honor to Prime Minister Modi, Greece honored 1.4 billion Indians.” Three years later, at what level do our bilateral relations stand?
The visit of Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Athens in August 2023, the first by an Indian prime minister in nearly four decades, was a landmark moment that elevated India – Greece relations to a strategic partnership. This was further reinforced by the state visit of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to India in February 2024, which deepened bilateral engagement across key sectors.
Since then, the relationship has become more action-oriented, with a clear focus on expanding trade, investment, and industrial cooperation, supported by regular institutional and business-to-business engagements. Both sides share the objective of significantly enhancing bilateral trade volumes in the coming years through diversification of trade baskets, increased value-added exports, and deeper integration of businesses and supply chains. Economic cooperation is expanding in priority sectors such as shipping, logistics, renewable energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and digital technologies, with increasing participation from the private sector on both sides.
