India, Greece looking at elevating ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

India and Greece are looking at elevating ir bilateral ties to level of comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned visit to European country next week, people familiar with matter said on Friday.

It will be first visit to Greece by an Indian prime minister in four deces.

re is no official announcement yet on Modi's visit to Greece.

people cited above said Modi will travel to Ans on August 25 after concluding his visit to Johannesburg. He will hold wide-ranging talks with Prime Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Modi is visiting Johannesburg from August 22 to 24 to attend annual summit of BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa).

It is learnt that he is also likely to visit Indonesian capital Jakarta next month to attend ASEAN (Association of Souast Asian Nations) and East Asia summits which are scheduled to take place between September 5 and 7.

Both India and Greece are working to upgre bilateral relations to level of comprehensive strategic partnership in talks between Modi and Mitsotakis, sources said.

Both sides are keen to expand cooperation in areas of tre, investment, defence and people-to-people exchanges.

Modi's planned visit to Ans assumed significance as it would be first prime ministerial visit from India since n prime minister Indira Gandhi visited Greece in September 1983.

n Greek prime minister Andreas Papandreou visited India thrice -- in November 1984 for Indira Gandhi's funeral, in January 1985 to attend a summit on nuclear disarmament and in January 1986 on a bilateral state visit as Chief Guest for Republic Day function.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Greece in June. During visit, both sides explored ways to expand overall bilateral ties and called for following fundamental international principles of rule of law and respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity.

y also denounced ricalisation, violent extremism and terrorism, in a clear signal of ir growing convergence on key geopolitical challenges.

Jaishankar's visit to Ans was first by an Indian foreign minister to European country in 18 years.

Greece sees India to be a good potential economic and commercial partner.