The Minister of National Defence of Greece, Nikos Dendias, concluded his official visit to India on Monday, 9 February 2026, with a bilateral meeting in New Delhi with India’s Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh. The meeting was followed by expanded talks between the two defence ministers and their respective delegations, confirming the growing depth of defence relations between Greece and India.

In statements following the meetings, Mr. Dendias described the visit as an opportunity to gain direct insight into India’s defence thinking, military reforms, and innovation-driven ecosystem. He underlined the strategic importance for Greece of strengthening ties with a country of 1.4 billion people and armed forces numbering nearly 1.5 million personnel. He also highlighted common operational ground, noting that both countries operate Rafale fighter aircraft.

A key outcome of the visit was the signing of a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the defence industry, the first in a broader series of agreements currently under negotiation. According to Mr. Dendias, this cooperation aims to facilitate Indian investments in Greece, joint development of innovative defence products, and closer interaction between the startup and innovation ecosystems of the two countries.

During his visit to the Defence Production Centre of the Indian Ministry of Defence, Mr. Dendias presented Greece’s defence reform framework, “Agenda 2030,” and outlined the concept of the “Shield of Achilles,” a multi-layered national defence system covering space, cyber, air, land, sea, and sub-sea domains. He stressed the need for structured communication between major defence companies and startups in both countries, proposing the creation of a dedicated forum and a permanent mechanism for contacts and joint exercises between the armed forces.

Earlier, on 8 February, the Greek Defence Minister visited Bangalore, where he toured defence facilities and met state-owned and private companies active in cutting-edge defence technologies. The visit reaffirmed Greece’s view of India as a long-term strategic partner with significant geopolitical, technological, and economic potential.