Athens [Greece]: Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh begins his official visit to Greece on October 14 with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Hellenic Armed Forces at Syntagma Square in Athens, paying tribute to fallen Greek soldiers. The visit forms part of India’s wider effort to strengthen defence and strategic partnerships with European countries.
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The visit comes as India and Greece seek to expand cooperation in maritime security, coastal protection and shipbuilding. Both countries have identified common interests in safeguarding maritime routes and ensuring the safety and security of seafarers, reflecting their roles as maritime nations.
Earlier, on October 8, Singh meets Greek Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Stefanos Gkikas in New Delhi. Their discussions focus on bilateral defence and strategic cooperation, with particular emphasis on maritime engagement, coastal security and shipbuilding.
Singh’s Greece visit follows his October 12–13 engagements in Cyprus, where defence-industrial and maritime cooperation feature prominently. The combined visits underline New Delhi’s efforts to deepen engagement with partners in the Eastern Mediterranean and build practical areas of cooperation across the region.
India and Greece elevated their bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership in 2023. Defence engagement has since included high-level exchanges and military exercises, while the establishment of a Joint Working Group mechanism in 2024 provides an institutional channel for advancing military cooperation.
The current visit provides an opportunity to sustain this momentum and explore further avenues for defence and maritime collaboration. While the opening ceremony marks the start of the visit, specific new agreements or contracts are not announced in the available report.
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