The active interest of the Indian business world in strengthening their relations and contacts with Greece, was confirmed at the meeting and working lunch between Greek and Indian businessmen, held in the presence of the two Prime Ministers Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Narenda Modi, in the context of the visit of the Indian Prime Minister in Athens, today Friday, August 25, 2023.

The meeting of Greek and Indian businessmen was jointly coordinated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Economic Diplomacy and Outreach, Costas Fragogiannis, and the head of the Prime Minister’s economic staff, Alexis Patelis.

The meeting was attended, from the Greek side, by the president of the Hellenic Shipowners Association Melina Travlou, the president of SEV Dimitris Papalexopoulos, the President and CEO of TEMES Achilleas Konstantakopoulos, the president of the Panhellenic Pharmaceutical Industry Association and co-managing director of ELPEN Theodoros Tryfon, the CEO Advisor of Eurobank Fokion Karavias, businessmen Evangelos Mytilinaios, Spyros Theodoropoulos and Giorgos Peristeris and Secretary General of the Hellenic Indian Chamber of Commerce and Economy Dimitris Melas.

On the Indian side, there were the Deputy Director General of the Indian Association of Industrialists Sujith Haridas, the CEO of the pharmaceutical company Emcure Samit Mehta, the Chairman of the hotel group ITC Sanjiv Puri, the CEO and the head of business development of the GMR group (construction sector) Srinivas Bommidala and Ohri Amresh respectively, UPL Group Head (Chemicals/Agrochemicals) Vikram Shroff, INTAS Pharmaceuticals VP Binish Chudgar, Shahi Exports Textiles/Apparel Exporter CEO Harish Ahujia as well as Indian Promotion Agency Chairman trade and investment EEPC Arun Garodia.

The discussions developed around the perspectives and ways of strengthening economic cooperation and contacts between Greek and Indian businesses, with an emphasis on the sectors of infrastructure (ports, airports), high technology, renewable energy sources, tourism, food, medicines, shipping.

After the conclusion of the meeting, Deputy Minister Mr. Fragogiannis expressed his satisfaction for the positive atmosphere in which the discussions were held and the mutual interest of the business worlds of Greece and India in strengthening the cooperation between them. And he added characteristically: “With today’s meeting we took a first, very essential step towards strengthening our economic ties with a strategic partner country and one of the most dynamic economies in the world. I look forward to the systematic deepening of our bilateral economic relations and cooperation. And in this direction, we are immediately launching a business mission to India, within the next few months.”