New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS) Celebrating the long-standing partnership between their countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan where the leader received a ceremonial guard of honour on Wednesday.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is on a two-day state visit to India for the 9th Raisina Dialogue, which begins today, was accompanied by his wife, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis.

"A ceremonial welcome for our distinguished guest! PM@narendramodi received PM @kmitsotakis of the Hellenic Republic at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. An occasion to celebrate long-standing India-Greece partnership," the Ministry of External Affairs said on X.

The Greek PM will join the inaugural session of the Dialogue, which is India's flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-economics, as the chief guest and deliver the keynote address.

After receiving the Guard of Honour, Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Raj Ghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and signed the visitor book there.

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar who called on Kyriakos Mitsotakis, earlier, said he was "delighted" to meet him and "valued his commitment to enhancing India-Greece ties".

"Look forward to the strengthening of our strategic partnership," S. Jaishankar wrote on X on Wednesday.

The Greek PM, accompanied by senior officials and a high-powered business delegation, arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday where he was received by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi.

This is the first bilateral Head of State/Government-level visit from Greece to India after 15 years.

While the last Prime Ministerial visit from Greece to India took place in 2008, PM Modi visited Athens on August 25, 2023.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs release, the Greek prime minister's visit is expected to further strengthen and deepen the strategic partnership between India and Greece.

The Raisina Dialogue, to be inaugurated by PM Modi today, will witness the participation of representatives from over 100 countries.

It will include ministers, former Heads of State and Heads of Government, military commanders, captains of industry, technology leaders, academics, journalists, strategic affairs experts, among others. / IANS