Greece vows stronger maritime ties with India ahead of Sagarmanthan 2026
Synopsis
Greece's Deputy Minister for Maritime Affairs is heading to New Delhi next week for Sagarmanthan 2026 — and he's not coming empty-handed. His meeting with India's Ambassador in Athens signals that the Greece-India partnership is expanding well beyond tradition, spanning maritime policy, air force exercises, and defence staff-level dialogue in just a few months.
Key Takeaways
Greek Deputy Minister Stefanos Gkikas reaffirmed commitment to maritime cooperation with India during a meeting with Ambassador Ravi Shankar in Athens on 1 October 2026 .
Gkikas is set to travel to India next week to attend Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026 .
On 11 August , Ambassador Shankar met General Dimitrios Choupis , Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff.
In July , Shankar discussed air force cooperation with Lt Gen Demosthenes Grigoriadis , Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff.
India participates in Greece's INIOCHOS exercise; Greece participates in India's Tarang Shakti exercise, deepening bilateral defence ties.
Greece's Deputy Minister for Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, Stefanos Gkikas, on Thursday, 1 October 2026, reaffirmed his country's commitment to deepening maritime cooperation with India, ahead of his planned visit to New Delhi next week to attend Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026. The remarks came during a meeting with India's Ambassador to Greece, Ravi Shankar, in Athens.
What Was Said
The Indian Embassy in Athens confirmed the interaction through its official post on X, noting that the deputy minister 'remained committed to strengthening maritime cooperation with India and that he was looking forward to his official visit next week to India to attend Sagarmanthan, the Great Oceans Dialogue 2026.' The exchange signals growing bilateral warmth in the maritime domain between the two seafaring nations.
Broader Defence and Air Force Engagement
The maritime outreach builds on a sustained pattern of high-level bilateral defence engagement in recent months. On 11 August, Ambassador Ravi Shankar met General Dimitrios Choupis, Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff (HNDGS), in a meeting that the Embassy also shared publicly. In July, the Ambassador held discussions with Lieutenant General Demosthenes Grigoriadis, Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff, on ongoing cooperation initiatives between the two air forces.
Air Combat Exercises Deepening Ties
According to the Indian Embassy in Greece, joint participation in multilateral air exercises has been a key driver of bilateral trust. India has taken part in INIOCHOS — a major annual multinational air combat training exercise hosted by the Hellenic Air Force — while Greece has participated in Tarang Shakti, the Indian Air Force's (IAF) largest biennial multinational air combat exercise. The Embassy noted that these exchanges have 'fostered mutual understanding and partnerships' between the two sides.
What Sagarmanthan 2026 Signals
Deputy Minister Gkikas's visit to India for Sagarmanthan underscores the growing strategic importance that Athens assigns to the Indo-Pacific maritime order. Greece, as a major European maritime power and a NATO member with deep interests in sea lanes and shipping, finds natural common ground with India, which has been actively expanding its ocean diplomacy. This is part of a wider Indian effort to build a coalition of like-minded maritime nations ahead of evolving geopolitical pressures in the Indian Ocean Region.
Point of View
Major shipping clout, and Mediterranean-to-Indo-Pacific connectivity — assets India values as it hedges against Chinese assertiveness in the Indian Ocean. What is often missed is how quickly the bilateral has moved across domains: from air force exercises to naval dialogue to senior ministerial visits, all within a single year. The question is whether this momentum translates into concrete frameworks — joint patrols, port access, or technology transfer — or remains at the level of warm optics and exercise participation.
NationPress
2 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Stefanos Gkikas and why is he visiting India?
Stefanos Gkikas is Greece's Deputy Minister for Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy. He is travelling to India next week to attend Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026, a major international maritime forum.
What is Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026?
Sagarmanthan: The Great Oceans Dialogue 2026 is an international maritime dialogue event hosted in India. It serves as a platform for nations to discuss ocean governance, maritime cooperation, and related policy issues.
What is the current state of India-Greece defence ties?
India-Greece defence ties have expanded significantly in 2026, encompassing high-level meetings between the Indian Ambassador and the chiefs of both the Hellenic National Defence General Staff and the Hellenic Air Force General Staff. The two countries also participate in each other's major air combat exercises — INIOCHOS and Tarang Shakti.
What are INIOCHOS and Tarang Shakti?
INIOCHOS is a major annual multinational air combat training exercise hosted by the Hellenic Air Force of Greece. Tarang Shakti is the Indian Air Force's largest biennial multinational air combat exercise. Both countries participate in each other's exercises, which has strengthened bilateral defence understanding.
Where did the latest Greece-India maritime meeting take place?
The meeting between Greek Deputy Minister Stefanos Gkikas and Indian Ambassador Ravi Shankar took place in Athens, Greece, on 1 October 2026, as confirmed by the Indian Embassy in Athens.
