5 hrs ago
Greece and India Advance Maritime and Defence Cooperation
Greece and India want to work more closely on activities at sea.
Greece’s maritime affairs minister, Stefanos Gkikas, said this after meeting India’s ambassador in Athens.
He plans to visit India next week.
His visit is connected to a major oceans meeting called Sagarmanthan.
The two countries are also building military cooperation.
Their air forces have taken part in each other’s multinational exercises.
These exercises are called INIOCHOS and Tarang Shakti.
Officials say the exercises have helped the two countries understand each other better and build partnerships.
Greece’s Deputy Minister Stefanos Gkikas reaffirmed his country’s commitment to stronger maritime cooperation with India.
Gkikas is scheduled to visit India next week for Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026.
The announcement followed a meeting between Gkikas and India’s Ambassador to Greece, Ravi Shankar, in Athens.
Shankar has also met Greece’s defence chiefs to discuss bilateral military cooperation.
India’s participation in INIOCHOS and Greece’s participation in Tarang Shakti have supported closer air-force ties.
- Who
- Stefanos Gkikas, Ravi Shankar, and Greek and Indian maritime and defence officials.
- What
- Greece reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening maritime cooperation with India, alongside ongoing defence and air-force cooperation.
- Where
- The latest meeting took place in Athens, Greece; the planned oceans dialogue will be held in India.
- When
- The maritime cooperation statement was made on Thursday; Gkikas is expected to visit India the following week. Related defence meetings took place in July and on August 11.
- Why
- To strengthen maritime cooperation and deepen mutual understanding and partnerships through defence contacts and multinational exercises.
Key facts
- Greek official
- Stefanos Gkikas, Deputy Minister for Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy
- Indian diplomat
- Ravi Shankar, Ambassador of India to Greece
- Planned visit
- Gkikas is expected to travel to India next week
- Dialogue
- Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026
- Air exercise involving India
- INIOCHOS, hosted annually by the Hellenic Air Force
- Air exercise involving Greece
- Tarang Shakti, the Indian Air Force’s largest biennial multinational air combat exercise
- Recent defence contacts
- Shankar met General Dimitrios Choupis on August 11 and Lieutenant General Demosthenes Grigoriadis in July
Quotes
Indian Embassy in Athens
India’s diplomatic mission in Greece, which reported the meeting on X.
“Hon'ble Dy Min said that Greece remained committed to strengthening maritime cooperation with India and that he was looking forward to his official visit next week to India to attend Sagarmanthan, the Great Oceans Dialogue 2026.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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