Greek prime minister asks India to build global partnerships amid Ukraine and Middle East wars

NEW DELHI (AP) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday asked India to play a leading role in building international partnerships to meet the unprecedented challenges brought by the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and changes in climate and energy security.

“We view India as one of the main pillars of stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region,” Mitsotakis said after his talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

India, he said, should be a cornerstone of Europe’s foreign policy. “This is certainly true for my country,” he added.

Mitsotakis also said the war in Gaza had caused “a horrifying death toll of civilians” without a clear path to “at the moment at least to a sustainable de-escalation.”

He also said that the war in Ukraine was more than a local European affair and a brutal challenge to international stability.

“None of us can afford to sit on the sidelines. I am convinced that India has an important role to play. It has a voice that should be heard,” he said.

India, which enjoys close ties with Russia, has avoided condemning Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

Modi told reporters after he met with Mitsotakis that India and Greece agreed to boost ties in the defense, pharmaceutical, space and shipping sectors as they seek to double their bilateral trade by 2030 from nearly $2 billion in 2022-23.

Modi also said the two countries set up a working group to cooperate in the fields of cybersecurity, counterterrorism and maritime security. He added that new opportunities are arising in India in defense manufacturing and that the two countries agreed to cooperate in this key sector but did not give details.

Mistotakis, who arrived in India on Tuesday, will also visit Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment hub, on Thursday. He is accompanied by a large business delegation. He said Greece and India are investing in renewable energy, infrastructure, ports and shipping.

India mainly exports aluminum, organic chemicals, and iron and steel to Greece, whose exports to India include minerals, mineral oils, sulfur, aluminum foil, electrical machinery and equipment and building stones.

Ashok Sharma, The Associated Press