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Prime Minister Modi was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour by President Sakellaropoulou. He is the first foreign Head of Government to receive this honour.
Athens: Greece bestowed the prestigious Grand Cross of the Order of Honour upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday as became the first Indian PM to visit the Greek nation after a gap of nearly 40 years. The award was conferred upon PM Modi by Greek President Katerina N Sakellaropoulou, making him the first foreign Head of Government to receive the honour.
The Greek president bestows the honour to prime ministers and eminent personalities who, by reason of their distinguished position, have contributed to enhancing the stature of Greece.
BJP national president JP Nadda tweets, “PM Narendra Modi being conferred with ‘The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour’ by Greece is yet another recognition of his statesmanship and impeccable leadership. PM Modi has led the call of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ to the forefront of… pic.twitter.com/UK5IRmLa9X
— ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2023
“Prime Minister Modi was conferred with the Grand Cross of the Order of Honour by President Sakellaropoulou. He is the first foreign Head of Government to receive this honour. The award ceremony took place at the Presidential Mansion in Athens, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a press release.
Upon receiving the honour, PM Modi, on behalf of the people of India, thanked Sakellaropoulou, the Government and people of Greece for this special honour, the MEA release said. In a tweet the MEA said it is “a special honour reflecting the strength of the India-Greece partnership”.
“I thank President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Government and people of Greece for conferring upon me The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour. This shows the respect the people of Greece have towards India. @PresidencyGR,” PM Modi tweeted on X.
I thank President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the Government and people of Greece for conferring upon me The Grand Cross of the Order of Honour. This shows the respect the people of Greece have towards India. @PresidencyGR pic.twitter.com/UWBua3qbPf
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 25, 2023
As per pmindia.gov.in website the citation reads: “In the person of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an honour is bestowed upon the friendly people of India.”
“On the occasion of this visit, the Greek State Honours the Prime Minister of India, a statesman who has tirelessly promoted the global reach of his country and who works systematically for India’s economic progress and prosperity, bringing about bold reforms. A statesman who has brought environmental protection and climate change among the top priorities of international activity,” it states.
The Order of Honour was established in 1975. The head of goddess Athena is depicted on the front side of the Star with the inscription “ONLY THE RIGHTEOUS SHOULD BE HONOURED”.
PM Modi, who is in Athens at the invitation of Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, arrived in the Greek capital from South Africa where he attended the 15th BRICS Summit.
This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Greece in the last 40 years. The last high-level visit to Greece took place in September 1983 when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi travelled to the country.
It took 40 years for an Indian PM to visit Greece but the warmth between our nations remained as strong.
My visit today will usher in a new era of India-Greece friendship. 🇮🇳 🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/ciopBJSdpl
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 25, 2023
PM Modi honored across the world
Prime Minister Modi has been honoured by countries across the world. Recently, during his visit to Paris in July, Modi was conferred with the highest honour of France, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, by French President Emmanuel Macron.
In June, Modi was conferred with the Order of the Nile’, Egypt’s highest honour, by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, during his visit to the Arab nation.
During his US visit in 2020, Modi was conferred with the Legion of Merit award by then president Donald Trump.
In 2019, the prime minister was conferred with the King Hamad Order of the Renaissance by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa. It is the top honour in the Gulf country.
The Prime Minister was also honoured with Russia’s highest civilian award, Order of St Andrew Award, in 2019. In the same year, he also received the Order of Zayed Award, the highest civilian honour of the UAE.
(With PTI inputs)
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