Greece–India relations explained

Filetype:svg
Envoytitle1:Indian Ambassador to Greece
Envoy1:Amrit Lugun
Envoytitle2:Greece Ambassador to India
Envoy2:Dimitrios Ioannou
Mission1:Embassy of India, Athens
Mission2:Embassy of Greece, New Delhi

Greece–India relations are the bilateral relations between India and Greece. Greece has an embassy in New Delhi. India has an embassy in Athens. As of 2023, the relation between the two countries is closer than ever and is considered historical and strategic by both parts.[1] [2]

Historical relations

Ancient era

See main article: Ancient Greece–Ancient India relations and Indo-Greek Kingdom.

For the ancient Greeks, "India" (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ινδία) referred to the polity situated east of Persia and south of the Himalayas (with the exception of Serica). However, during different periods of history, "India" referred to a much wider or much less extensive place.[3] The Greeks referred to the ancient Indians as "Indói" (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἰνδοί|lit=people of the [[Indus River]]); the Indians referred to the Greeks as "Yonas (Yavanas)"[4] in reference to the Ionians.[5]

18–19th century

The settlement of Greek merchants in Bengal began in the early eighteenth century and lasted until the middle of the twentieth century.[6]

The trading house of the Ralli Brothers which operated in Kolkata and Dhaka was the most important Greek business presence in India during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Dimitrios Galanos (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Δημήτριος Γαλανός, 1760–1833) was the first modern Greek Indologist who lived for 40 years in India and translated many Sanskrit texts into Greek making available the knowledge of the philosophical and literary traditions of India in Greece and the rest of the world.

The church, cemetery and property of the Greek community of Bengal are currently managed by the Charitable Foundation of the Greek Orthodox Church in Kolkata.

DNA analysis from the skeletons of the Roopkund Lake, revealed that 14 skeletons (dated ~1800 CE) had a genetic ancestry tied to Greece.[7] [8]

Modern

Diplomatic 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 2001.

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, Thessaloniki[9] and Lemnos.

Thessaloniki was twinned with Kolkata in January 2005.[10]

India and Greece enjoy close bilateral relations and Greece supports India's candidacy as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

The two nations are closer than ever amidst their shared rivalry with Turkey. Greece is one of the few nations which openly support India on the Kashmir issue. In 2023, India and Greece along with Cyprus and Israel also formed an informal economic partnership for extraction of oil in Western Mediterranean.

Cultural Relations

On 26 November 1926, Nobel Laureate Poet Rabindranath Tagore visited Athens.[11]

The "Dimitrios Galanos" Chair for Greek Studies was established at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India in September 2000.

The official language of India, Hindi, has been taught at the Foreign Language Teaching Center of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens since 2005.

Sanskrit, Hindi, Indian philosophy and South Asian history and Culture have been taught at the Athens Center for Indian and Indo-Hellenic Studies since 2016.

In March and April 1995, the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Hellenic Foundation for Culture co-organized an International Symposium on "India – Greece: 2500 Years of Cultural Exchange" at the India International Center in New Delhi.

In February 2018, Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts (IGNCA) and Benares Hindu University (BHU) organized an international conference entitled "Dimitrios Galanos and his Legacy: Indo-Greek Studies 1790–2018" held in two phases, one in New Delhi and one in Varanasi, India.[12]

In November 2018, Europe's 1st International Symposium on Jainism was organized by ELINEPA at the Corfu Museum of Asian Art.[13]

In June 2019, the 17th International Hindi Conference was organized by ELINEPA in Athens.[14]

On 26 June 2021, the Ministers of External Affairs of Greece and India Nikos Dendias and S. Jaishankar and the Mayor of Athens Kostas Bakoyannis unveiled the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Athens.[15]

In November 2021, ELINEPA and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) co-organized a painting exhibition and a series of cultural events in New Delhi and Chandigarh as part of the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution.[16]

On 1 March 2022, a conferment ceremony was organized in Athens to present the Padma Shri Award from the President of India Ram Nath Kovind to the Greek Indologist Prof. Nicholas Kazanas for his distinguished service and contribution towards the enrichment of literature and education.[17]

In December 2022, the chair for Greek Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Hellenic Institute of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Studies (Venice) co-organized an International Conference on: "The Greek World and India: History, Culture and Trade from Hellenistic Period to Modern Times' at Jawaharlal Nehru University Conference Centre, New Delhi.[18]

In June 2023, the Academy of Athens organized an Event on: "The research work of Indologist Miltiadis Spyrou and the unknown publications of Demetrios Galanos in India".[19]

In April 2024, the chair for Greek Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University in collaboration with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the International Hellenic University and the National & Kapodistrian University of Athens organized a multi-disciplinary International Conference on “Greece and India: History, Society, Science and Entrepreneurship”[20]

Economic Relations

About 35000 to 36000 Indian people live and work in Greece. Annual bilateral trade stands at $0,83 billion. The figures from the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) indicate that the trade balance is consistently in deficitto the detriment of Greece. In 2021, a deficit of €564,8 million was recorded as Greek exports amounted to €134,2 million, recording a significant increase of 74,6% compared to 2020, while imports to €699,1 million, recording an increase of 68,4% compared to 2020.[21]

Some Indian companies, like restaurants, mini markets and tourist agents, have started operating in Athens, Myconos, Santorini and other places in Greece. Greek companies also have partners in India.

An infrastructure consortium made up of India's GMR Airports Limited (GAL) and Greek GEK Terna has won the tender for the construction of the new Kastelli airport in Heraklion, Crete.[22]

India has been an honored country at the 74th (2009)[23] and the 84th (2019)[24] Thessaloniki International Fair.

The first Greek Indian Business Association was established in Athens in June 2019.[25]

List of recent bilateral visits

List of bilateral treaties

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Indian FM Emphasizes "historical Friendship" with Greece as Bilateral Ties Rapidly Foster – Greek City Times. 30 October 2020 .
  2. Web site: Indian FM: Greece is Our Strategic Partner – Greek City Times. 15 November 2020 .
  3. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=india-geo Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) William Smith, LLD, Ed. – India
  4. The Influence of Greek Classics on Indian Culture in Ancient Era .
  5. Yavanas in the Ancient Indian Inscriptions . 44144820 . Lal . Shyam Bihari . Proceedings of the Indian History Congress . 2004 . 65 . 1115–1120 .
  6. Web site: Three Centuries of Hellenic Presence in Bengal. 31 December 2005.
  7. 10.1038/s41467-019-11357-9 . Ancient DNA from the skeletons of Roopkund Lake reveals Mediterranean migrants in India . 2019 . Harney . Éadaoin . Nayak . Ayushi . Patterson . Nick . Joglekar . Pramod . Mushrif-Tripathy . Veena . Mallick . Swapan . Rohland . Nadin . Sedig . Jakob . Adamski . Nicole . Bernardos . Rebecca . Broomandkhoshbacht . Nasreen . Culleton . Brendan J. . Ferry . Matthew . Harper . Thomas K. . Michel . Megan . Oppenheimer . Jonas . Stewardson . Kristin . Zhang . Zhao . Harashawaradhana . Bartwal . Maanwendra Singh . Kumar . Sachin . Diyundi . Subhash Chandra . Roberts . Patrick . Boivin . Nicole . Kennett . Douglas J. . Thangaraj . Kumarasamy . Reich . David . Rai . Niraj . Nature Communications . 10 . 1 . 3670 . 31431628 . 6702210 .
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20210225171808/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/dna-study-deepens-mystery-lake-skeletons-roopkund DNA study deepens mystery of lake full of skeletons
  9. Web site: The Indian Cemetery in Salonica. 30 November 2006.
  10. Web site: The Twinning of Thessaloniki and Calcutta. 21 January 2005.
  11. Web site: RABINDRANATH TAGORE – 90 YEARS SINCE HIS VISIT TO GREECE. 11 January 2023.
  12. Web site: International Conference on "Demetrios Galanos and His Legacy: Indo-Greek scholarship 1790–2018". 11 January 2023.
  13. Web site: International Symposium on Jainism. 11 January 2023.
  14. Web site: 17th International Hindi Conference in Athens. 11 January 2023.
  15. Web site: Unveiling of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Athens. 11 January 2023.
  16. Web site: Painting exhibition dedicated to the 200 years since the Greek Revolution – New Delhi. 11 January 2023.
  17. Web site: Padma Shri Award conferred to Greek Indologist Prof. Nicholas Kazanas. 11 January 2023.
  18. Web site: Report of the International Conference "The Greek World and India: History, Culture and Trade from the Hellenistic period to Modern Times". 11 January 2023.
  19. Web site: Review and Video of the event "The research work of Indologist Miltiadis Spyrou and the unknown publications of Demetrios Galanos in India". 18 June 2023.
  20. Web site: International Conference on “Greece and India: History, Society, Science and Entrepreneurship” – Report. 14 April 2024.
  21. Web site: Greek Indian Economic Forum, no. 2 (2022), p.16. 21 May 2022.
  22. Web site: Greek-Indian cooperation for the construction of the airport in Kastelli, Crete. 2 June 2017.
  23. Web site: India – Honored Country in the 74th Thessaloniki International Trade Fair. 9 September 2009.
  24. Web site: India Honored country at the 84th Thessaloniki International Fair. 6 September 2019.
  25. Web site: GIBA | Greek Indian Business Association.
  26. Web site: The official visit of King Paul and Queen Frederica in India. 2 February 1963.
  27. Web site: Official Visit of Constantinos Karamanlis in India. 8 March 1982.
  28. Web site: Visit of Indira Gandhi in Athens and Delphi. 23 September 1983.
  29. Web site: Finance Minister Alogoskoufis Visits India. 11 February 2007.
  30. Web site: H.E. The President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam in Greece. 27 April 2007.
  31. Web site: Official Visit of P.M. Kostas Karamanlis to India. 11 January 2008.
  32. Web site: Greek Difence Minister Panos Kammenos visits India. 20 December 2015.
  33. Web site: Visit of India's State Minister of Agriculture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to Greece. 18 April 2018.
  34. Web site: Visit of President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind to Greece. 13 June 2018.
  35. Web site: Thessaloniki International Fair – Inauguration of the Indian Pavilion. 6 September 2019.
  36. Web site: Visit of the Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar in Athens. 25 June 2021.
  37. Web site: Official Visit of Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias to India. 23 March 2022.
  38. Web site: Visit of Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, to Greece (January 30-31, 2023). 31 January 2023.
  39. Web site: Official visit of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Athens. 25 August 2023.
  40. Web site: Official visit of the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Eleftherios Avgenakis, to India. 4 November 2023.

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