Greek PM Mitsotakis reaches India to attend the 9th Raisina Dialogue

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reached New Delhi on the night of 20 February 2024 on a four-day visit to India. PM Mitsotakis will also be the chief guest and speaker of the 9th Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi.

• A business delegation and senior officials are also visiting India along with Prime Minister Mitsotakis.
• The Prime Minister of Greece was given a traditional welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Prime Minister Modi will also host a lunch in honour of the Prime Minister of Greece on 21 February.

Prime Minister of Greece Bilateral Discussion:

• Bilateral discussions between PM Modi and Prime Minister Mitsotakis will also be held. This will be the first visit of the Prime Minister of Greece to India after 15 years. The last visit of a Greek Prime Minister to India was in 2008.
• Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis was also present along with the then Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis who visited India in January 2008.
• According to the Indian MEA, during PM Modi's visit to Greece in August 2023 last year, relations between the two countries reached the level of strategic partnership.

About India and Greece Relations:

• Mutual relations between India and Greece are strong in many areas, mainly:
  • Shared-Cultural Values
  • Commitment to increase economic growth
  • Safety and Security
  • Shipping
  • Maritime and Regional and Global Issues.
• Both countries are cooperating closely in various multilateral fora. According to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, the visit of the Greek PM to India is expected to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.
• On the eve of the visit of the PM of Greece to India, the Foreign Minister of Greece Giragos Gerapatritis reached New Delhi.

Ninth Raisina Dialogue:

• Prime Minister Modi will inaugurate the 9th edition of Raisina Dialogue on 21 February 2024. In which PM of Greece Mitsotakis will address this inaugural session as the chief guest.
• The Raisina Dialogue was started in 2016.
• This dialogue is an annual conference to discuss geo-political and geo-economic issues. The event is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
• The headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs of India is located at Raisina Hill (South Block), New Delhi, hence it is known as Raisina Dialogue.
• Raisina Dialogue is a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral meeting. Many types of representatives are included in it. in which mainly
  • Policy makers and decision makers
  • stakeholders from different nations
  • Politicians, journalists, high officials
  • Representatives of industry and business world etc.
• Under this dialogue, foreign, defense and finance ministers of different countries are included.

Objective of Raisina Dialogue:

• The main objective of the Raisina Dialogue is to explore possibilities and opportunities for Asian integration as well as better coordination of Asia with the rest of the world.
• The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference committed to addressing challenging issues facing the global community.

Benefits to India from Raisina Dialogue:

• The Raisina Dialogue serves as a platform where the government can express its stance on a range of international situations and issues in the realm of international relations.
• The Raisina Dialogue has increased the diplomatic capacity of the Government of India.

The Observer Research Foundation was established in 1990. It is based in New Delhi and acts as an independent think tank on various issues