India, Greece to soon sign migration and mobility partnership

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Greece counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis will sign an agreement on Migration and mobility partnership and work on deepening the trade ties between both countries.

PM Modi informed about the development on the social media platform, ‘X’, and said, “PM @kmitsotakis and I agreed that our trade ties need to become even stronger. We have also decided to work on a migration and mobility partnership agreement in the coming times. We will also work towards deepening ties between our educational institutions.”

According to the 2011 Greek census, the number of Indian community is 11,333. Currently, they are estimated to be between 13000-14000, according to the Ministry of External Affairs paper released on August 9, 2023 on India-Greece relations.

They have been living across various parts of Greece for many years and are predominantly from Punjab and largely Sikhs. Most Indians are farm, factory or construction workers.

Many Indian workers, who did not have the required papers after some period of stay, acquired stay permits during different periods of amnesty, offered by the Greek government.

PM Modi on having a conversation with his Greek counterpart, PM further posted, “Held very fruitful talks with @PrimeministerGR @kmitsotakis in Athens. We have decided to raise our bilateral relations to a ‘Strategic Partnership’ for the benefit of our people. Our talks covered sectors such as defence, security, infrastructure, agriculture, skills and more.”

The two leaders also held discussions in one-on-one and delegation-level formats. During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi expressed his condolences for the loss of life and property lives in the tragic incidents of forest fires in Greece.

PM Modi today commenced his visit to Greece by paying tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens. Later on, he received a ceremonial guard of honour.

India and Greece enjoy civilizational ties, which have strengthened in recent years through cooperation in areas like maritime transport, defence, trade and investments and people-to-people ties.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour in Athens, Greece.

President of Greece Katerina N Sakellaropoulou feted PM Modi with the Grand Cross after the latter called on the former during his day-long official visit to Greece.“A special honour reflecting the strength of India-Greece partnership. PM @narendramodi conferred with Grand Cross of the Order of Honour by @PresidencyGR Katerina N Sakellaropoulou,” tweeted the Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi.

The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour is conferred by the President of Greece to Prime Ministers and eminent personalities who by reason of their distinguished position, have contributed to enhancing the stature of Greece.

Thanking the Greek President, PM Modi tweeted, "I thank President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Government and the people of Greece for conferring upon me The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour. This shows the respect the people of Greece have towards India." (ANI)