Athens - Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Athens, Greece, for a one-day visit on Friday. Notably, Modi's visit marks the first time an Indian Prime Minister has set foot in the Mediterranean nation in four decades.

During this diplomatic visit, both sides are poised to enhance and diversify the realms of trade and investment cooperation, deepen the bonds of defense and security partnership, explore avenues in infrastructure collaboration, and bolster the shipbuilding industry. These facets of engagement have been confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs. It's worth mentioning that Modi's excursion to Greece follows his recent three-day sojourn in South Africa, where he attended the BRICS summit and conducted bilateral discussions to fortify India's international relations.

While in South Africa, PM Modi engaged with prominent figures from diverse fields. Notably, he met with a distinguished geneticist and a visionary rocket scientist on Thursday to exchange insights on disease screening and the future of energy.

In particular, Modi had enlightening discussions with Dr. Himla Soodyall, a prominent geneticist and CEO of the Academy of Science of South Africa. Their dialogue revolved around human genetic lines and their potential application in disease screening. As a gesture of collaboration, Prime Minister Modi extended an invitation for Dr. Soodyall to collaborate with Indian institutions in the realm of genetics, as highlighted by Arindam Bagchi, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

Sharing his experience, Modi expressed, "Had a very interesting conversation with Dr. Himla Soodyall, a leading geneticist of South Africa. She talked about her work and her passion for science and innovation," in a post on a social media platform.

Furthermore, Modi engaged in an equally stimulating exchange of perspectives with Siyabulela Xuza, a rocket scientist and CEO of Galactic Energy Ventures.