Jaishankar Meets Polish PM Donald Tusk to Strengthen India-Poland Ties

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is visiting India from October 21 to 23, met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries. Jaishankar welcomed Tusk’s views on expanding India-Poland collaboration across several sectors and expressed confidence that his discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi would help advance their Strategic Partnership.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said he was pleased to meet Tusk and appreciated his thoughts on taking bilateral cooperation forward. He also said he looked forward to the Polish leader’s meeting with Modi to further strengthen relations. Tusk arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday at the invitation of Modi. He is accompanied by Poland’s Minister of Finance and Economy, Andrzej Domanski, along with a business delegation. The visit aims to expand cooperation in trade, defence, technology, space and other areas of mutual interest.

On Thursday, Tusk is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Modi to review the progress of relations and exchange views on regional and international developments. His programme also includes a wreath-laying ceremony at Rajghat in honour of Mahatma Gandhi and participation in the India-Poland Business Forum in New Delhi. He is expected to travel to Bengaluru on October 23 for engagements with representatives of India’s information technology and space sectors.

India and Poland upgraded their relationship to a Strategic Partnership during Modi’s visit to Poland in August 2024. Tusk’s current trip marks the first visit by a Polish prime minister to India since 2010, giving the engagement added diplomatic and economic significance. Former Polish Ambassador to India Adam Burakowski said both countries were looking to increase annual bilateral trade from around $6 billion to $10 billion. He highlighted the importance of business forums in New Delhi and Bengaluru, noting that Indian and Polish companies were expected to explore agreements and new commercial opportunities. Burakowski also identified defence and space technology as important areas for future cooperation. He pointed to the proposed India-European Union free trade agreement as a potential driver of stronger economic ties, saying it could help both countries expand trade and investment.

Michał Matlak, director of the ŁUKASIEWICZ-ITECH Institute of Innovation and Technology, also emphasised the scope for deeper collaboration. He highlighted opportunities for Polish institutions to work with India’s research and innovation ecosystem, including the Indian Institutes of Technology, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and emerging startups.

He further noted that India’s participation in the European Union’s Horizon research programme could create opportunities for researchers and academic institutions to collaborate with European partners and access research funding. According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Tusk’s visit is expected to give fresh momentum to the Strategic Partnership and strengthen long-standing relations between New Delhi and Warsaw. The discussions are likely to focus on translating political goodwill into practical cooperation in trade, defence, scientific research and advanced technology.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.