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An Indian Parliamentary delegation, headed by Speaker of the Lok Sabha
(House of the People) Somnath
Chatterjee, visited Greece from 24 to 28 September 2006. This
first ever bilateral visit was made possible after an
invitation
by the Greek Parliament and aimed
to strengthen relations between the Parliaments of India and
Greece and increase the mutual understanding on issues of common interest.
 The
Indian delegation included six members of Parliament - four
from the Lok Sabha (House of People), and two from the Rajya
Sabha (Council of States), representing different parties --
and senior officials of the Indian Parliament.
During the first ever bilateral visit from
Indian Parliament to Greece, the Indian delegation met the
Presiding Officer of the Greece Parliament Prof. Anna
Benaki-Psarouda, the President of the Hellenic Republic
(Greece) Mr. Karolos Papoulias and the Prime Minister of
Greece Mr. Kostas Karamanlis, who is also the head of the
ruling New Democracy Party. The Indian Parliamentary
Delegation also interacted with the Leaders of all other
Parties represented in the Hellenic Parliament i.e., the
Pan-Hellenic Social Movement (PASOK) which is the principal
opposition party, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), and the
Coalition of the Left (SYNAPSISMOS). The delegation had a
meeting with the 15 member Greece - India Friendship Group of
the Hellenic Parliament, as well.
During these
interactions, the positive desire on both sides to further
increase bilateral contacts and relations in diverse fields
and to strengthen cooperation in global forums such as the UN
has been highlighted. There was strong support from Greece for
India’s candidature for the permanent membership in UN
Security Council. India’s consistent position on Cyprus and
its efforts to build and strengthen good relations with the
countries in its region came in for praise. The Leaders from
the host nation have also strongly supported India’s efforts
in fighting terrorism while remaining strongly committed to
democratic principles and human rights. Prime Minister
Mr.Karamanlis and President Mr. Papoulias have said that they
are looking forward to further high-level visits from India in
the near future. The Premier said that the time had come for
taking Indo-Greek relations to new levels, building on the
already very good, long-standing and traditional relations and
many shared values and perceptions.
Shri Somnath
Chatterjee sought the support of Greece for India’s candidate
for the UN Secretary General’s post, Dr. Shashi Tharoor. Shri
Chatterjee was honoured with the medal of honour of the Greek
Parliament by his Greek counterpart.
The Honorary Delegation met also with the President and
members of ELINEPA in the official dinner hosted by the Indian
Ambassador Mr. Bhaskar Balakrishnan (photo).
The Indian Parliamentary Delegation led by
Shri Somnath Chatterjee included Shri Raashid Alvi,
Shri Kailash Joshi, Shri Shailendra Kumar, Dr.
K. Kasturirangan, Shri M. Cheranamai, Smt.
Tejaswini Seeramesh, all Members of Parliament and Shri
P.D.T. Achary, Secretary-General, Lok Sabha.
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