Piyush Goyal leads team to Greece for talks on boosting economic ties
New Delhi, June 28
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal is now leading a high-level Indian business delegation to Greece, with a focus on expanding bilateral trade and investment flows as well as strategic economic collaboration, according to an official statement issued on Sunday.
The minister successfully concluded his 3-day visit to the United Kingdom on Saturday with the India-UK: Partners in Progress Business Plenary held in London. The engagement reaffirmed the strong momentum in bilateral economic relations, with leading industry stakeholders from both countries expressing firm support for the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) as a transformative framework for deepening trade and investment ties.
The minister's engagements in the United Kingdom, followed by the ongoing visit to Greece, reflect the Indian government's continued commitment under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthening global economic partnerships, fostering innovation-led growth, and advancing India's trade and investment diplomacy in key international markets, the statement said.
During the visit to Greece, the delegation will participate in presentations and startup pitches at The Athens Startup Business Incubator (THEA), providing a platform to showcase next-generation enterprises and promote cross-border innovation partnerships.
The delegation will also hold focused roundtable discussions with Indian and Greek industry leaders at the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI). The discussions will cover key sectors, including infrastructure, digitalisation and defence, and food and agriculture, with a view to identifying new avenues for collaboration and strengthening private-sector partnerships.
The programme will include a high-level business interaction bringing together leading stakeholders from both countries to explore opportunities for enhanced investment and commercial partnerships across priority sectors. The delegation will also visit leading Greek enterprises to explore collaboration in advanced manufacturing and technology-driven sectors, strengthening industrial synergies between the two countries.
The visit will conclude with interactions involving key business and institutional stakeholders aimed at deepening industry partnerships and expanding bilateral trade linkages, the statement added.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The focus on startups and innovation is smart. India needs to tap into European tech ecosystems like THEA in Athens. But execution is key—let's see actual MoUs signed.
Why is the same minister running back to back trips to UK and Greece? We need more focus on domestic manufacturing and job creation—not just photo ops abroad.
Defence and digitalisation partnerships are interesting. Greece is EU and NATO, so this could be a strategic gateway for Indian defence exports. But we need to ensure reciprocity in market access.
Finally some attention to deeper economic ties with Europe beyond UK and Germany. Greece has a strong maritime sector—we can collaborate on shipping and ports too. Bhai, good initiative!
Valuable to see startup pitches being part of a ministerial delegation. This shows India is serious about innovation-driven growth. But we need to also focus on skilling our youth for these new sectors.
I appreciate the intent, but let's be honest—these trade talks often lead to more imports than exports for India. We should negotiate hard for Indian agriculture and textile access to European markets.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.