Brussels [Belgium], Oct 19
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu held a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the European Union headquarters on the sidelines of the 12th Asia-Europe meeting (ASEM) summit on Friday.
During the meeting, the two leaders expressed satisfaction with the regular high-level contacts between the two countries and agreed to further strengthen the bilateral ties through greater economic cooperation and people to people exchanges.
Prime Minister Tsipras recalled President Ram Nath Kovind's successful visit to Greece in June 2018.
He then informed Vice President Naidu about the economic conditions of Greece and the efforts taken by the government to restore the stability of the financial system. Prime Minister Tsipras also commended the growth of the Indian economy over the last few years and asserted that it had a positive influence on the global economic situation.
The Greek Prime Minister also encouraged Indian companies to consider investing in Greece, particularly in the port sector. He also extended an invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit Greece at an opportune time.
Naidu, meanwhile, thanked Prime Minister Tsipras for inviting India as the "Honoured Country" at the Thessaloniki International Fair in 2019 while asserting that India would be represented at the event with a strong business delegation.
The Vice President also briefed the Greek Prime Minister about the country's economic growth and the efforts being taken by the government to promote inclusive growth through the various developmental programmes and flagship initiatives. He further called for greater tourism flows between the two countries.
Naidu thanked Greece for its support for India's membership to the various export control regimes and for its consistent support to India's candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed and expanded United Nations Security Council. He also talked about the Greek scholar Demetrios Galanos, who had translated, among other texts, the Bhagavad Gita into Greek.
