Indian Minister: Increasing trade with Greece to $1 billion 'a realistic target'

Increasing bilateral trade between Greece and India to one billion dollars a year by 2021 was a "modest, realistic target," India's Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri noted in statements to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) on Sunday.

"Greece is a very important country. It is a member of the European Union with a strategic geographical position," Puri added, while also noting the bonds of culture and civilization between the two countries.

Given that the size of India's economy was currently at 2.8 trillion dollars and that its target was to increase this to 5.0 trillion dollars by 2025, the target of increasing bilateral trade from 650 million dollars at present to one billion dollars in two years "is not a very ambitious target, it is realistic," he said.

"You have a new government and it is a dynamic government. You prime minister, whom I had the privilege to meet [on Saturday] morning, appears to like India and the same is shown on our side by my presence here," Puri pointed out.

The Indian minister pointed out the need for a direct air link between the two countries, noting that a direct flight from New Delhi or Bombay to Athens would greatly assist increase the number of Indian tourists coming to Greece. The presence of the representative of a private Indian airline in the mission that came to Thessaloniki indicated that there was interest in such a prospect, he added.

He also repeated the great interest of Indian firms in opportunities to invest in Greece's infrastructure sector, pointing to an existing partnership between India's GRM Airports and GEK Terna, and in Greece's privatization program. Puri also said that India's film industry and noted that the shooting of even one Bollywood film in Greece could help promote the country as a tourism destination in India.

Puri concluded the 84th TIF where India is the honored country will be an important platform for partnerships between Greek and Indian firms, adding that he encouraged such agreements. He also expressed his admiration for the city of Thessaloniki and for Greek products, such as olives and olive oil.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Yann Forget