>Vassiliades: /* List of recent bilateral visits */

2021-06-26T06:28:15Z

List of recent bilateral visits

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{{Short description|1=Diplomatic relations between the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of India}}
{{Infobox bilateral relations|Greco-Indian|Greece|India|filetype=svg}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2013}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2013}}
'''Greco-Indian relations''' are the relations between [[Greece]] and [[India]]. Greece has an embassy in [[New Delhi]] and three honorary consulates in [[Kolkata]], [[Chennai]] and [[Mumbai]]. India has an embassy in [[Athens]] and an honorary consulate in [[Thessaloniki]]. As of 2020, the relation between the two countries is closer than ever and is considered historical and strategic by both parts.<ref>https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/10/30/india-greece-historical-friendship/</ref><ref>https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/11/15/indian-fm-greece-strategic-partner/</ref>

==Historical relations==

===Ancient era===
{{main|Ancient Greece–Ancient India relations|Indo-Greek Kingdom}}
[[File:Pataliputra Palace capital by L A Waddell 1895.jpg|thumb|upright=0.5|[[Pataliputra capital|Pataliputra Palace capital]], showing Greek and Persian influence, early [[Mauryan Empire]] period, 3rd century BC.]]

For the [[Ancient Greeks]] "India" ({{lang-el|Ινδία}}) meant only the upper Indus till the time of [[Alexander the Great]]. Afterwards, "India" meant to the Greeks most of the northern half of the Indian subcontinent. The Greeks referred to the Indians as "Indói" ({{lang-el|Ἰνδοί}}), literally meaning "the people of the [[Indus River]]". Indians called the Greeks [[Yona]]s or “[[Yavana]]s”<ref name= "Influence of Greeks on Indian Culture">[http://pu.edu.pk/images/journal/HistoryPStudies/PDF_Files/14_V-30-No1-Jun17.pdf The Influence of Greek Classics on Indian Culture in Ancient Era]</ref> from [[Ionians]].<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/44144820?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents YAVANAS IN THE ANCIENT INDIAN INSCRIPTIONS]</ref>

===18–19th century===
There is now tangible evidence indicating that the settlement of Greek merchants in Bengal must have begun as early as the beginning of the seventeenth century.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/three-centuries-of-hellenic-presence-in-bengal |title = Three Centuries of Hellenic Presence in Bengal|date = 31 December 2005}}</ref> [[Dimitrios Galanos]] ({{lang-el|Δημήτριος Γαλανός}}, 1760–1833) was the earliest recorded Greek [[Indologist]]. His translations of Sanskrit texts into Greek made knowledge of the philosophical and religious ideas of India available to many Europeans. A "Dimitrios Galanos" Chair for Hellenic Studies was established at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India in September 2000.

===Modern===
[[File:Indian troops touring the Acropolis 1944.jpg|thumb|left|[[5th Indian Infantry Brigade]] tour the [[Acropolis]] after clearing [[Piraeus]] of Communist forces, 1944.]]
Relations between Greece and India started in May 1950. India opened its resident Embassy in Athens in March 1978. The new Greek Embassy building in [[New Delhi]] was inaugurated on 6 February 2006.

Three Indian companies were having partners in Greece and 15 Greek companies are operating in India.

The graves of Indians who died in Greece during the two [[World Wars]] are located in the memorial grounds of the cemeteries of the Allied Forces in [[Athens]] and [[Thessaloniki]].

Thessaloniki was twinned with [[Kolkata]] at January 2005.

About 12,000–13,000 Indian people live in Greece.

India and Greece enjoy close bilateral relations and annual bilateral trade stands at $0.70 billion. India has been an honored country at the 74th (2009)<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/india-honored-country-in-the-74th-thessaloniki-international-trade-fair/ |title = India - Honored Country in the 74th Thessaloniki International Trade Fair|date = 9 September 2009}}</ref> and the 84th (2019)<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://giba-network.org/india-the-honored-country-at-the-84th-thessaloniki-international-fair/ |title = India Honored country at the 84th Thessaloniki International Fair|date = 6 September 2019}}</ref> [[Thessaloniki International Fair]]. The first Greek Indian Business Association was established in Athens in June 2019.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://giba-network.org/ |title = GIBA | Greek Indian Business Association}}</ref>

==List of recent bilateral visits==
*In March 1982, the President of the Hellenic Republic, [[Konstantinos Karamanlis]], paid an official visit to India.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/karamanlis-india/ |title = Official Visit of Constantinos Karamanlis in India|date = 8 March 1982}}</ref>
*In December 2000, Greek Foreign Minister [[George Papandreou (junior)|George Papandreou]] visited India.
*In February 2001, [[Prime Minister of Greece]] [[Kostas Simitis]] visited India.
*In September 2006, [[Speaker of the Lok Sabha]] [[Somnath Chatterjee]] visited Greece.
*In February 2007, Greek Finance Minister [[Georgios Alogoskoufis]] Visited India<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/finance-minister-alogoskoufis-visits-india/ | title=Finance Minister Alogoskoufis Visits India| date=11 February 2007}}</ref>
*In April 2007, [[President of India]] [[Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam]] made an official visit to [[Athens]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/h-e-the-president-of-india-dr-abdul-kalam-in-greece/ | title=H.E. The President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam in Greece| date=27 April 2007}}</ref>
*In January 2008, Prime Minister [[Kostas Karamanlis]] visited India<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/official-visit-of-p-m-kostas-karamanlis-to-india/ | title=Official Visit of P.M. Kostas Karamanlis to India| date=11 January 2008}}</ref>
*In December 2015, Greek Defence Minister [[Panos Kammenos]] visited India<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/kamenosinindia/ |title = Greek Difence Minister Panos Kammenos visits India|date = 20 December 2015}}</ref>
*In April 2018, India's State Minister of Agriculture [[Gajendra Singh Shekhawat|Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat]] visited Greece<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/meeting-of-greek-and-indian-ministers-for-cooperation-in-the-agricultural-sector/ |title = Visit of India's State Minister of Agriculture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to Greece|date = 18 April 2018}}</ref>
*In June 2018, [[President of India]] [[Ram Nath Kovind]] made an official visit to [[Athens]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/visit-of-indias-president-shri-ram-nath-kovind-to-greece/ |title = Visit of President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind to Greece|date = 13 June 2018}}</ref>
*In September 2019, India's Minister of Commerce and Industry [[Hardeep Singh Puri]] visited Greece and Inaugurated the Indian Pavilion in [[Thessaloniki International Fair]]<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/tif-inauguration-of-the-indian-pavilion/ | title=Thessaloniki International Fair – Inauguration of the Indian Pavilion| date=6 September 2019}}</ref>
*In June 2021, India's Minister of External Affairs [[S._Jaishankar]] visited Greece <ref>{{Cite web | url=https://elinepa.org/visit-of-the-indian-foreign-minister-dr-s-jaishankar-in-athens/ |title = Visit of the Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar in Athens|date = 25 June 2021}}</ref>

==List of bilateral treaties==
[[File:Preneet Kaur and Dimitris Kourkoulas.jpg|thumb|Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece Dimitris Kourkoulas and Deputy Minister of External Affairs of India [[Preneet Kaur]].]]
*Agreement on Cultural Exchange, 1961
*Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation, 1967
*Agreement for Joint Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, 1983.
*Joint Business Council of FICCI and ASSOCHAM and the Athens Chamber of Commerce, 1996.
*Agreement of Co-operation between Hellenic Foreign Trade Board and India *Trade Promotion Organisation, 1996.
*Agreement on Tourism Cooperation, 1998.
*MoU on Defence Cooperation, 1998.
*MoU for Cooperation in Agriculture, 2001.
*Agreement on Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments (BIPA), 2007.
*Agreement on Co-operation in Science & Technology, 2007.
*MOU between CII and Federation of Greek Industries, 2007.
*MOU for Co-operation between Institute of Science, Bengaluru and *National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), 2007

==See also==
*[[Foreign relations of Greece]]
*[[Foreign relations of India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [https://archive.org/details/indiaingreeceort00poco "India in Greece"] by E.Pococke (1852)
* "The Greeks in India" by Demetrios Th. Vassiliades (2000)
* [https://archive.org/details/TheShapeOfAncientThought "The shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies"] by [[Thomas McEvilley]]
* "Greeks and Buddhism" by Demetrios Th. Vassiliades (2016)
*Kazanas, Nicholas. "Archaic Greece and the Veda." Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute 82.1/4 (2001): 1–42.
*Kazanas, N. "Advaita and Gnosticism." Indian Historical Review 32.1 (2005): 197–254.
*Kazanas, Nicholas. "Renaissances with Vedic Vaāk and Hellenic Logos." IUP Journal of History & Culture 4.4 (2010).
*Kazanas, N. 2004 ‘Plato and the Upaniṣads’ in Brahmavidyā: Adyar Library Bulletin.
*Swarup, Ram (2000). ''" India and Greece"'' In: On Hinduism: Reviews and reflections. New Delhi: Voice of India.
*Timothy Lomperis, Hindu Influence on Greek Philosophy: The Odyssey of the Soul From the Upanishads to Plato
*Meenakshi Jain, The India They Saw : Foreign accounts (co-edited with Sandhya Jain, 4 Volumes, Prabhat Prakashan), {{ISBN|8184301065}}, {{ISBN|8184301073}}, {{ISBN|8184301081}}, {{ISBN|818430109X}}.
*[[R. C. Majumdar|Majumdar, R. C.]] (1981). The Classical accounts of India: Being a compilation of the English translations of the accounts left by [[Herodotus]], [[Megasthenes]], [[Arrian]], [[Strabo]], [[Quintus]], [[Diodorus]], [[Siculus]], [[Justin (historian)|Justin]], [[Plutarch]], [[Frontinus]], [[Nearchus]], [[Apollonius of Tyana|Apollonius]], [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], [[Ptolemy]], [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], and others with maps. Calcutta: Firma KLM.

==External links==
*[https://www.mfa.gr/en/blog/greece-bilateral-relations/india/ Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the relation with India]
*[http://www.indianembassy.gr/ Indian embassy in Athens]
*[https://elinepa.org/ Indo-Hellenic Society for Culture and Development (ELINEPA)]

{{Foreign relations of Greece}}
{{Foreign relations of India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greek-Indian Relations}}
[[Category:Greece–India relations| ]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of Greece|India]]
[[Category:Bilateral relations of India|Greece]]

Greece–India relations - Revision history

>Vassiliades: /* List of recent bilateral visits */