New Delhi’s Greek Pivot

For the third consecutive year in a row, as a testament to Europe’s increasing importance in India’s strategic vision, the Raisina Dialogue hosted a European leader as chief guest. The speech of the Prime Minister (PM) of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, inaugurating the ninth edition of the Raisina Dialogue on February 21, reciprocated this vision by reiterating that “strengthening the partnership with India should be a cornerstone of Europe’s foreign policy”. PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Greece last year, the first by an Indian PM in 40 years, upgraded Indo-Greek ties to the level of a strategic partnership. Mitsotakis’s visit to India, the first by a Greek PM since 2008, served to continue this upward momentum. Security cooperation dates back to when, despite Western sanctions after India’s nuclear tests in 1998, Greece and India signed an MoU on defence cooperation. For both countries, military modernisation is an important goal and defence expenditures have risen. These ambitions have laid the foundation to explore the co-development of military hardware under the Make in India programme. The two countries find themselves aligning on wider regional issues such as the security axis between Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan, which has led to a strengthening of India’s ties with both Greece and Armenia. Athens has consistently supported New Delhi’s stance on Kashmir and its bid for a UNSC permanent seat, while India has supported Greece’s position on northern Cyprus and its disputes with Turkey in the Aegean Sea. Furthermore, the two countries are engaging in joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea to enhance maritime security.