The Greek government is seeking to enhance its defence co-operation with India, as the Mediterranean country reshapes its alliances in the region, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said.
Dendias noted that Athens views India as part of a broader network of close defence allies, including the United States, Israel and France. India is also a regional rival to Pakistan, which maintains close ties with Greece’s longtime adversary, Turkey.
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“India has a role to play in our shared security, and I am proud of the avenues opening up to strengthen our defence relations,” Dendias said at an event in Athens on Wednesday. “India is an important country – an emerging superpower – already with a GDP exceeding €4 trillion,” he added.
Greek defence ministry sources told Euractiv that India is regarded as a “friendly country.”
Dendias visited New Delhi earlier in the week and signed an agreement on synergies between the Greek and Indian defence ecosystems in innovation and cutting-edge technologies. Although no further details were disclosed, the Greek minister visited a military facility in India specialising in drone and simulator technologies.
The EU and India also signed a separate security and defence partnership agreement in January, which includes various avenues for cooperation, including hybrid threats, AI, counter-terrorism, critical infrastructure protection, UN cooperation and non-proliferation. Brussels and New Delhi said that they will continue to explore further opportunities for cooperation in defence capacity building.
According to a European Commission spokesperson, Indian companies can already participate in deals funded by the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loan programme by providing up to 35% of the total cost of a defence product. For India to increase its industrial participation, a wider defence agreement with the bloc would be required – something that is not currently on the table, Euractiv has learned.
“The Commission is currently not speculating on a potential SAFE 2. Having approved 16 of the 19 national SAFE plans, we are now finalising the approval of the three remaining plans,” the EU spokesperson said.
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