Srinjoy Chowdhury: Prime Minister Mitsotakis, welcome to Times Now. You’ve been with us before. It makes us so happy.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Indeed, I have. Thanks for having me.
Srinjoy Chowdhury: Yes. This is a big time because AI is going to change the world. We have to be careful of the damages it may cause. There are benefits, surely. There is suspicion. But how will this summit help to ensure that AI is well-controlled?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Well, first of all, it’s a real pleasure and privilege to be attending this very important AI Summit, which is hosted by Prime Minister Modi and by India. I think it’s incredibly important that India is playing a leading role in defining the new global governance framework for AI.
As you pointed out, AI can be truly transformative, but there are also serious risks that need to be addressed. And unless we manage to get to a point where we have a global understanding of how we will mitigate the risks while ensuring that the benefits of AI are spread equally into every corner of the earth, we will not have done our job as global leaders. That’s why I think this is a very important topic to discuss.
Greece has its own very ambitious AI strategy, but we’re also keenly aware that there are serious risks that need to be addressed, the mental health of children and teenagers, the way these large language models are programmed to ensure that they are biased towards what we would consider good behaviour, the way we protect our democratic space from misinformation and disinformation, which can be amplified through artificial intelligence. I think these are critical topics which we will discuss tomorrow, and hopefully we can reach some common conclusions.
Srinjoy Chowdhury: Yes, sir. You’ve seen technology in the past. There’s been the digital divide. Now, surely, we don’t want an AI divide. We don’t want a North-South. We don’t want a rich-poor. We want everyone to benefit from this. Now, you’re meeting Prime Minister Modi tomorrow. Plus you’re speaking. Surely all of you are thinking of this, that the benefits of AI should reach everybody.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Exactly. I think this is exactly the theme of this global summit and a topic Prime Minister Modi is really focused on. I must acknowledge that India has made a spectacular leap forward when it comes to the adoption of digital technologies. I think this acknowledges that digital technology can be a force for good, can benefit billions of people, provided everyone has access to it and provided that the benefits, as you pointed out, are spread in a just and viable manner.
I think we should be concerned about the concentration of power in the hands of a few global corporations. I think we need to talk to the big global leaders, the hyperscalers who are developing these cutting-edge models, and we should have an honest discussion, as we will have tomorrow.
I’ll have a chance to meet many of the global tech leaders tomorrow to raise our concerns and to understand how this technology can be put to the benefit of humanity as a whole.
Srinjoy Chowdhury: Yes, of course. But that apart, Greece and India have been close for 2,000 years, the people of the two countries. Also, as you know, both countries now have a strategic relationship. You and the Prime Minister are friends. You’ve been here twice. He’s been to Athens. Do you see the strategic relationship going forward? What are the two or three big things that lie ahead?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Well, first of all, even when it comes to AI, going back into the depth of our philosophical thinking, and I’m talking both about India and about Greece, I think can give us very useful ideas and cues about how to think regarding the ethical implications of AI. This is not only about artificial intelligence, it’s also about ancestral intelligence. Both Greece and India have plenty of ancestral intelligence to leverage.
When you talk about the strategic partnership, I set a very clear target when I was elected for my second mandate to significantly strengthen the strategic partnership between Greece and India. I’m glad to report that we are definitely moving in the right direction. There are obvious and significant synergies between our two countries that go way beyond our very close civilisational ties.
Greece is the closest continental European country to India. When you talk, for example, about the IMEC project to which I attach great significance, there are lots of projects that would benefit both India and Greece when it comes to connectivity. Areas such as shipping, areas such as foreign direct investment by Greek companies into India, but also by Indian companies into Greece. GMR is, as we speak -I visited the site a few weeks ago- is building the second largest airport in Greece.
We have nonstop flights now between Delhi and Mumbai. IndiGo has already started flying. Aegean will start very soon. The potential to significantly strengthen our tourist ties is absolutely there. We want to be the preferred destination for Indian tourists in Europe. The fact that we have a nonstop flight now, nonstop flights, and I’m sure that they will significantly expand, I think gives an additional impetus to those Indians who would love to travel to Greece. Of course, I’m always fascinated by these amazing Indian weddings that take place in Greece. I know there’s a policy to have more Indian weddings in India, but if couples choose to get married in Greece, we will most certainly welcome them.
Srinjoy Chowdhury: That apart, there is one issue where India and Greece work very closely together. The fact that you sympathise with India so much is something India feels very happy about, which is the issue of terror, because you have spoken up very strongly against terror because we’ve faced terror problems. Europe has faced terror problems, but cross-border terrorism continues. Something has to be done.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: We have very strong cooperation when it comes to our intelligence and security services. As a country that has suffered from domestic terrorism, we are particularly sensitive to this topic, and we will always stand hand in hand with those countries that are totally committed towards fighting and hopefully eradicating tourism. This is another area we have in common between Greece and India.
Srinjoy Chowdhury: You spoke up very strongly after Pahalgam, India hasn’t forgotten. But I’m hearing that Greece and India are going to work very closely together in areas like defence. Could you tell us a little about that?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I think it is natural that we strengthen our ties also when it comes to security and defence. As you know, European countries are going to be spending significantly more on defence. The invasion of Ukraine was a rude awakening.
Greece has been a country that has always spent more than 2% of its GDP on defence. So we are, I would say, ahead of the curve. But as new technologies are emerging, as we’re looking for cost-effective solutions to address our new defence challenges, I believe that this is an area where we can build significant ties.
We also share some common platforms, for example, both India and Greece, fly the French Rafale plane. So, this gives us potential to further strengthen our ties, both when it comes to exercises, but also to bring together our defence industry. For those Indian companies looking to invest in Europe, Greece should be a prime destination to attract investment by Indian companies that would like to establish a manufacturing presence in Europe.
Srinjoy Chowdhury: The navies also work closely together, as you know.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Yes, both the navies, and of course, I should also stress that Greece is a leading shipping nation. India has big aspirations when it comes to shipping. Protecting freedom of navigation is a joint critical priority. When you just look at the route that the ships have to take to reach Greece from India or to reach India from Greece, they’re going through some treacherous areas. Making sure that we work hand in hand to defend international law, and in particular, the international Law of the Sea, and to defend freedom of navigation is a joint priority that both our governments share.
Srinjoy Chowdhury: Greeks and Indians have known each other for over 2,000 years. Now comes something that will link the two countries closer. I’m referring to the IMEC, the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor. Now that tensions in the Middle East are a little lower, things are easier, is there any possibility of a go ahead of further movement? Will you discuss this with the Prime Minister tomorrow?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Of course, we will discuss it. I do also hope that we will see even more Indian investment in Greek infrastructure. For example, investments in our ports. Greece is a natural entry point to serve both Southeastern but also Central and Eastern Europe.
Of course, if we really want to add substance to the IMEC concept, we need to look at those new trade routes, whether we’re talking about physical goods or what we’re talking about digital infrastructure. For example, Greece is already building, as we speak, a new digital cable that will connect Greece to Saudi Arabia. The natural extension of the cable will be to Southeast Asia, and of course, it will also branch out to India. What I’m saying is that some of these IMEC projects are already materialising, and Greece and India are and should be, of course, at the forefront.
Srinjoy Chowdhury: Natural partners, you would say.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Yes. And of course, as we also are looking to strengthen the ties between India and the European Union, we all stand to benefit. I was very aggressively lobbying the European Commission to move ahead with the free trade agreement, and I was very happy that in principle this has been agreed between Prime Minister Modi and the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. I think this is a great opportunity for Indian exporters, but it’s also a great opportunity for European and Greek companies to access the Indian market.
Let me just give you one example, olive oil. Olive oil had very high tariffs. These tariffs are going to decrease significantly. Imagine how much potential this offers to our olive oil producers. It’s a massive new market as Indians also discover new tastes. We also want to make sure that Greek companies and Greek producers benefit from this breakthrough agreement.
