Greece Foreign Minister calls for strengthening ties with India

Greece's foreign minister Nikos Dendias has called for strengthening ties with India as the world faces a "maelstrom of international developments". In his address at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), he said, "we are trying to develop our relations with countries which, as I say, lie beyond the horizon: emerging powers that have similar or compatible positions with us", explaining, "I am referring to India, which is poised to become the world's most populous country next year".

Earlier this year, FM Nikos visited India and held talks with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, a visit that came after India's foreign Miniter's visit to his country last year. During talks in Delhi, they discussed many issues including the situation in the eastern Mediterranean where Turkish actions have been violating the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS.

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During the visit, the Greek Foreign Minister handed over the Instrument of Ratification of Greece as a signatory to the Framework Agreement on International Solar Alliance. Trade between the 2 countries has crossed US$ 1 billion despite the challenges posed by the covid pandemic.

The Greek FM also hoped to develop ties with Japan, and Vietnam which share "positions similar to ours on the Law of the Sea", Australia and Indonesia. On the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the foreign minister said that it has "changed the world" and is a violation of "principles of International Law". He said that the invasion has led to food and energy crises and they can have "devastating consequences for societies all over the world, resulting in social upheavals and migratory flows", adding, "We all, probably, watched the latest events in Sri Lanka on our television screens."