PM Modi in Poland: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Poland on Wednesday, becoming the first Indian leader to visit the Central European country in 45 years. His highly-anticipated visit to Warsaw, comes as India and Poland are celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations, as an eager Indian diaspora awaited his arrival.
The Prime Minister will later first lay a wreath at the memorial of the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, dedicated to Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, a former Maharaja of Nawanagar (now Jamnagar), who established the Polish Children's Camp in Jamnagar to provide refuge to Polish children escaping from the Soviet Union during World War II. He will also visit the monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino.
"Landed in Poland. Looking forward to the various programmes here. This visit will add momentum to the India-Poland friendship and benefit the people of our nations," he said on X.
Even before his arrival, members of the Indian diaspora gathered outside the hotel where he would be staying. "It is a matter of excitement for us that our Prime Minister is coming to Poland. this is an important visit which will improve India-Poland relations. This will help bring investments to India from Poland," Rajpal Sabnani, an Indian-origin citizen in Warsaw, told ANI.
The Indian leader is slated to hold talks with the Polish leadership and engage with the Indian community there. After concluding his Poland trip, PM Modi will visit Ukraine on an invitation by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which comes after his highly-publicised trip to Russia on June 8-9 amid the raging war between Moscow and Kyiv. Modi would become the first Indian leader ever to visit Ukraine after diplomatic relations were established in 1992 to re-assert his position that only dialogue and diplomacy will resolve the conflict. The prime minister will travel to Kyiv from Poland in a 'Rail Force One' train that will take around 10 hours.
What's the agenda of PM Modi's trip to Poland?
Shortly before emplaning to Poland on Thursday, the Prime Minister said he looked forward to the opportunity to meeting the Polish leadership to advance India's partnership with Warsaw, as well as strengthen bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on a peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
"My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship. I look forward to meeting my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda to further advance our partnership. I will also engage with the members of the vibrant Indian community in Poland," he said in a statement
He also said he looked forward to the opportunity to build upon earlier conversations with Zelenskyy on strengthening bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. "As a friend and partner, we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region," he added.
Why is PM Modi's visit to Poland important?
Poland is one of the most important countries in Central Europe, being the sixth-largest economy within the European Union. Warsaw will also hold the next Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The bilateral trade between the two countries is estimated to be $6 billion, making Poland the largest trading partner of India in Central and Eastern Europe. India has investments worth $3 billion in Poland, while the latter has invested $1 billion.
"The discussions that the Prime Minister will hold with the Polish leadership will allow the two sides to exchange views at the top level on a variety of subjects, and that kind of detailed discussion we have not had in a certain period now. So it will be a kind of a real useful exchange of views," Indian Ambassador to Poland Nagma Mohamed Mallick told news agency PTI.
As per the MEA, a number of Indian companies have active business presence in Poland in sectors ranging from IT to pharmaceuticals to manufacturing to farm vehicles to electronics, steel, metals and chemicals. while Poland has 30 companies having a business presence in India. The Indian community in Poland has also increased to 25,000, including 5,000 students.
It is also worth recalling that India had a "successful" rescue mission called "Operation Ganga" during the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022. At that time, Poland had played a crucial role in the evacuation of more than 4,000 Indian students. Being asked about agreements in defence cooperation between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "The defence cooperation goes back a long time. We have an agreement on defence cooperation that was signed in 2003. This provides for consultations and a joint working format. India recently reopened the defence wing at the embassy in Warsaw."
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