Athens: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a productive informal discussion on regional and global issues with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias as he arrived in Greece for the first visit by an Indian foreign minister since 2003.
Jaishankar is on a two-nation visit to Greece and Italy. He met Dendias on Friday
“Thank FM @NikosDendias for a warm welcome to Greece. A productive discussion on regional and global issues. Greece is an important partner in our broader EU engagement. Look forward to our formal talks tomorrow,” Jaishankar tweeted on Friday.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi on Thursday said that Jaishankar will embark on a two-nation visit to Greece and to Italy. In Greece, he would make a bilateral
visit on June 25 and 26 for talks with his Greek counterpart apart from other engagements.
It will be the first visit to Greece at the level of the external affairs minister since 2003. After Greece, he will travel to Italy to attend G20 ministerial meetings.
The G20 summit is scheduled to be held in Italy in October. India is expected to hold the presidency of the G20 in 2022.The G20 is an influential bloc that brings together the world’s major economies.
The G20 member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union.