India, Greece deepen defence cooperation, maritime security in focus

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh met Greek Navy Chief VAdm Dimitrios Eleftherios to advance India-Greece defence cooperation. Discussions centered on maritime security, shipbuilding, and autonomous platforms to strengthen their Strategic Partnership.

Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh on Monday met Chief of the Greek Navy Vice Admiral Dimitrios Eleftherios and discussed ways to advance defence cooperation between both nations. Singh and Eleftherios's talks focused on commitment to strengthen Strategic Partnership. In a post on X, the Ministry of Defence said, "Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh met Chief of the Hellenic Navy VAdm Dimitrios Eleftherios and held wide-ranging discussions to advance India-Greece defence cooperation. Discussions focused on maritime security, shipbuilding and autonomous platforms, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to strengthening the Strategic Partnership." Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh met Chief of the Hellenic Navy VAdm Dimitrios Eleftherios and held wide-ranging discussions to advance India–Greece defence cooperation. Discussions focused on maritime security, shipbuilding and autonomous platforms, with both sides… pic.twitter.com/C9GwM4vjar — Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) February 16, 2026

Greek Navy Chief Accorded Ceremonial Welcome

Kataras, was accorded a ceremonial Guard of Honour at the South Block lawns in the national capital on Monday. Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi welcomed his Greek counterpart upon his arrival at South Block.

Earlier this morning, Vice Admiral Kataras visited the National War Memorial to lay a wreath and pay respects to fallen heroes. These ceremonial engagements formed part of a broader sequence of high-level interactions between India and Greece, building on the momentum of recent diplomatic efforts.

Building on Recent Diplomatic Efforts

Earlier, on February 9, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of National Defence of the Hellenic Republic, Nikolaos-Georgios Dendias, in New Delhi. During that meeting, the two sides agreed to further strengthen defence cooperation, including a landmark decision to position a Greek International Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram.

Key Agreements and Future Plans

Expanding on this strategic framework, India and Greece also signed a Joint Declaration of Intent on strengthening bilateral defence industrial cooperation, which will serve as the starting point for developing a five-year roadmap. In addition, the two countries exchanged the Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan for 2026, outlining the specific scope of military engagements between their armed forces, according to a Ministry of Defence release.

Speaking during the interaction, Rajnath Singh contextualized these developments by stating that India attaches great importance to its longstanding, time-tested partnership with Greece, based on shared values of peace, stability, freedom, and the rule of law. (ANI)

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