Athens, Greece: As a part of the thought leaders meet during his daylong visit to Greece, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Greek researcher and musician, Konstantinos Kalaitzis in Athens on Friday. The Prime Minister appreciated Kalaitzis's affection for India and his passion for Indian music and dance. Regarding the meeting between PM Modi and Konstantinos Kalaitzis, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), "PM appreciated Konstantinos Kalaitzis's affection for India and his passion for Indian music and dance. They discussed the possibilities of further popularizing Indian culture in Greece." Konstantinos Kalaitzis loves India, particularly Indian music and culture. This passion is also shared by his family. This small video gives a glimpse of it. pic.twitter.com/hoJARzhjcj — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 25, 2023 After meeting PM Modi, Kalaitzis said, "For me, maybe we have 100 years and more to see a leader like him. He is a miracle. It would be a blessing for any country to have a leader like Narendra Modi." Furthermore, PM Modi also met the head of ISKCON in Greece and recalled their meeting in 2019 in India, where he was briefed on ISKCON's activities in Greece. "PM Narendra Modi met Guru Dayanidhi Das, head of ISKCON in Greece. PM recalled their meeting in 2019 in India. He was briefed on ISKCON's activities in Greece," Bagchi wrote on X. After meeting PM Narendra Modi in Athens, Guru Dayanidhi Das, head of ISKCON in Greece said, "...I am highly impressed by his kindness, his vision. We have known him for a long time. We had many interactions with him all over the world and we love him very much...Amongst the leaders, I love him the most because he is a devotee of Krishna..." #WATCH | After meeting PM Narendra Modi in Athens, Guru Dayanidhi Das, head of ISKCON in Greece says, "...I am highly impressed by his kindness, his vision. We have known him for a long time. We had many interactions with him all over the world and we love him very much...Amongst… pic.twitter.com/LbWjUIwYjS — ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2023 The series of meetings of Prime Minister Modi did not just end there as he also had an engaging exchange of views jointly with Professor Dimitrios Vassiliadis, an Indologist and Sanskrit and Hindi professor at the University of Athens. "Delightful that the Prime Minister visited Greece...I think he is a good leader of India and an independent personality...He is doing good work," Vassiliadis said after his meeting with Prime Minister Modi. Meanwhile, the MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi wrote on X, "PM Narendra Modi had an engaging exchange of views jointly with Professor Dimitrios Vassiliadis, Indologist and Sanskrit & Hindi professor at University of Athens, and Dr Apostolos Michailidis, Assistant Professor at Department of Social Theology, University of Athens." "They briefed PM on their work on Indian religions, philosophy and culture. Discussions took place on the potential for deepening academic collaboration between Indian and Greek universities," Bagchi added. PM Modi had started his four-day formal tour on August 21 for South Africa and Greece. In South Africa, PM Modi attended the 15th BRICS Summit in Johannesburg from August 22-24 at the invitation of the country’s president Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa. During the Greece visit, the PM held meetings with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Katerina N Sakellaropoulou. In the meeting with the Greek President, the PM added another feather to his cap, as he was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour in Athens, Greece. President of Greece Katerina N Sakellaropoulou feted PM Modi with the Grand Cross after the latter called on the former during his day-long official visit to Greece. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the success of the Chandrayaan-3 mission and accepted his invitation to visit India. In a joint statement during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Greece at the invitation of his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis, both countries have agreed to elevate their bilateral ties to a "strategic partnership". PM Modi also interacted with the Indian diaspora members at the community event organised at the Athens Conservatoire before concluding his Greece Visit.
