Sir,
The best part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Greece visit, the first by an Indian PM in 40 years, was the Meghalaya Shawl and Chhattisgarh’s Dhokra Art, along with the Telangana Bidri Art vases, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted to the President and Prime Minister of Greece with their spouses equal recipients, an association that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not have to worry about.
In India, the gifts triggered talk of the glorious ties of two ancient civilizations. Did Prime Minister Narendra Modi know that as soon as he stepped on Greece soil he would be honoured with the “Grand Cross of the Order of Honour in Athens” – one more country honouring the Indian Prime Minister with its highest civilian award? Before Greece, there was Egypt.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said all the right words in his bilateral talk with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, noting how important the Mediterranean region was to India’s interests and that India wanted to build on existing ties while extending relationships to countries with which it had little interaction. Whether the one day in Greece was “sufficient time?” is a contentious point.
Countries of this region hold great significance for India’s geopolitical goals. The region is important for India’s Indo-Pacific policy. Countries like France and Italy are important for the Indo-Pacific region where India is a rising power. The time has come for India to reach out to Mediterranean countries including Greece in a big way.
There are countries like Egypt, Spain, Italy and Cyprus with footprints in the region. By resetting ties with Greece, India is filling up a vacuum. India’s External Affairs Ministry said honouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Greece’s top award was a sign that Modi has made a great deal of difference to India’s ties with Greece. And that the Greek valued friendship with India.
S Kutty
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