Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Athens on a one-day state visit to Greece on Friday after concluding the 15^th BRICS Summit in South Africa’s Johannesburg. PM Modi was received by Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis upon his arrival in Athens. The prime minister also met hundreds of people from the Indian diaspora, who had gathered outside the Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens to greet him.

Informing about the prime minister’s engagements during the one-day visit, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that PM Modi will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens and thereafter meet the President of Greece followed by a meeting with Greek PM and business leaders of both sides.

Earlier in a speech before his departure to Athens, the PM said that his visit would open a “new chapter” in the “multifaceted relationship” between India and Greece.

“This will be my first visit to this ancient land. I have the honour to be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Greece after 40 years,” he said and added, “I look forward to my visit to Greece opening a new chapter in our multifaceted relationship.”

The tightly -packed itinerary will see PM Modi visiting the Tomb of Unknown Soldier and holding restricted delegation-level talks with Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. After the delegation-level meeting with his Greek counterpart, PM Modi will jointly address key business leaders from both countries. The prime minister will also interact with the Indian community.

The last scheduled bilateral meeting of the prime ministers of India and Greece had taken place in New York in September 2019 on the sidelines of UNGA. Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to officially visit Greece in four decades. Indira Gandhi was the last prime minister of India to pay a state visit to the European nation in 1983.

Addressing a press conference ahead of PM Modi’s two-nation tour, the Minister of External Affairs Monday termed Greece an “important partner” and India’s gateway to Europe and the EU market. The MEA also said that Greece has also been India’s supporter on several international issues including New Delhi’s bid to secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Speaking about the agenda of PM Modi’, the MEA said that during PM Modi’s visit, both sides will look to expand and diversify the trade and investment segment of their cooperation. During the visit, the two leaders are likely to sign several pacts in the fields of defence and security, partnership, infrastructure cooperation, shipping, energy, agriculture, and education among others.