Greece favours early Delhi-EU trade pact

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday received a telephone call from the PM of the Hellenic Republic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who extended warm greetings to him on the occasion of his birthday. Modi conveyed his heartfelt appreciation for the gesture.

During the conversation, Mitsotakis expressed Greece’s strong support for the early conclusion of a mutually beneficial India-EU Free Trade Agreement, a key priority in India’s engagement with Europe. He also conveyed his best wishes for the success of the AI Impact Summit that India will host in 2026.

According to officials, the two leaders reviewed the progress in bilateral ties and welcomed developments across a wide range of sectors, including trade, investment, technology, shipping, defence, security, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges. “They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the India-Greece Strategic Partnership,” an official said.

The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to remain in regular touch.

Notably, the European Union is India’s largest trading partner, accounting for €124 billion worth of trade in goods in 2023 or 12.2 per cent of total Indian trade. India is the EU’s ninth largest trading partner, accounting for 2.2 per cent of the EU’s total trade in goods in 2023. Trade in services between the EU and India reached €59.7 billion in 2023, up from €30.4 billion in 2020.