Distinguished fellow-panelists,
distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen,
dear friends,
namaskar!
It is a great privilege and honor to be here today, at this year’s Raisina Dialogue to present Greece's standpoint on the cooperation dynamics of two pivotal regions with major geopolitical leverage: the Indo-Pacific and the Mediterranean-Atlantic.
And on this occasion, I wish to thank wholeheartedly the Government of India for a very warm welcome of my Prime Minister, the Greek delegation and myself. India is a big nation with admirable achievements, on the crossroads of West and East, North and South, with an ever expanding economic and geopolitical role worldwide.
Our countries, Greece and India, two key players in their respective regions, might be geographically distant but share common, fundamental values deriving from our historical origins, ancient civilizations, cultural presence and creative interaction throughout the centuries.
We are both maritime nations, with a shared commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), following a principled foreign policy based on the values of diversity and democracy.
When it comes to democracy, we share a special bond: Greece is the birthplace of democracy whereas India is today the world’s largest democracy.
And in a year where more than half of the global population goes to polls shaping the world’s tomorrow, democracy must succeed. Because the challenges humanity is called upon to manage are not just complex. They are collective and require a collective response based on the rules of a democracy that operates under the rule of law: dialogue, equality, and freedom.
These already existing bridges between our peoples need to pass to the next level where history meets with community of spirit and common vision, where abstract meets tangible.
To this end last August, we upgraded our bilateral relations to strategic, during the historic visit of Prime Minister Modi in Athens.
Mutual investment is a top priority. Significant Greek investments here in India, in various sectors are in progress. At the same time India is investing heavily in Greece’s infrastructure, by participating in iconic projects such as the construction of the new Kasteli airport, and having an active presence in food and pharmaceutical market.
The willingness to expand our cooperation in multiple fields is confirmed by the arrival, together with the Greek Prime Minister, of a delegation of 100 Greek businesspeople to explore more possibilities for interaction, with the realistic goal to double our bilateral trade by 2030, as the two Prime Ministers have agreed.
And all the aforementioned can be further enhanced through the implementation of the visionary project that was embraced by G20 at the September 2023 Summit in New Delhi, with the announcement of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC).
From a technical point of view, the goal of the Corridor connecting India to Europe is to upgrade the capacity and resilience of trade, energy and data flows between India, the Middle East and Europe, reducing the time and cost of cargo transport by 30-40% and emphasizing transport efficiency, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and job creation.
But it is so much more. It is primarily a peace and cultural project.
This is a Corridor transferring goods, hope, prosperity, and unity. Helping us increase our solidarity and resilience to future crises, be they conflicts, pandemics, natural disasters/climate change and building infrastructure through synergies that promote peace and stability.
Greek ports can and should be the corridor’s doorstep to Europe.
Since ancient times, Greece’s strategic location at a physical and cultural crossroad where three continents meet, has been a corridor for trade in goods and of knowledge.
We possess a leading role in energy, data and transport networks. At the same time, Greek ports provide a dynamic eastern gateway for Asian products to the half a billion consumers European market. With maritime expertise and a fleet that is a world leader in the safe and rapid transport of goods and energy.
Further, Greece enjoys a very much needed, in our turbulent environment, political stability, while being at geographic proximity to the Middle East.
And, of course, Greece is one of the oldest member-states of the European Union.
And I can assure you that the Indo-Pacific region is a major focus of EU global policy. Earlier this month in Brussels, I actively participated to the third EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum, where we took a series of measures aimed at intensifying the partnership between the EU and the countries of the Indo-Pacific. On the sidelines of the forum, I had the opportunity to hold a series of meaningful bilateral meetings with delegations from the countries of the area.
It is obvious that we are facing a historic opportunity. And this opportunity should be seized by every key-player in the region. It is imperative to work multilaterally, alongside with India, with countries such as the United Arab Emirates and the Saudi Arabia to develop our joint policies with a view to IMEC, but even further.
Αs very aptly stated in Minister’s Jaishankar’s latest book “Building on a tradition of contacts between India and Europe that went through Arabia, it presents a “return of history”. In the final analysis, the balance between entrenched politics and emerging economies will determine the region’s relevance to the world beyond“.
This seems like a project that was long overdue.
At ancient times, Pericles was saying that when it comes to war, opportunities do not wait, and that one must act promptly: “οί καιροί ού μενετοί”. The same applies today, but for the opposite reason. In order to preserve and restore peace, at challenging times, we cannot afford to lose a single day.
The war in Gaza and the turmoil in the Middle East is undoubtedly alerting and destabilizing, but it cannot undermine the powerful effect behind IMEC, nor should we let it weaken our eagerness for progress. Instead, it can be a way of healing wounds in the area.
As the Greek Prime Minister mentioned yesterday in his keynote address as the Chief Guest of the Raisina Dialogue, “it gives us all the more impetus to promote peace, given that IMEC is a project aiming at stability and prosperity for all the participating countries”.
And my message today is that Greece and India are ready to do whatever in their power to make this visionary project true. For the sake of democracy and global prosperity.
In Gandhi’s words: “You must be the change you want to see in the world”.
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.
“The world is one family”.
Thank you.
February 22, 2024