NEW DELHI: India and Poland will deepen their relations, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi after meeting Polish PPM Donald Tusk in Warsaw on Thursday. The two nations have become strategic partners now.
“I am glad to have met my friend Prime Minister Donald Tusk. In our talks we took stock of the full range of India-Poland relations. We are particularly keen to deepen linkages in areas such as food processing, urban infrastructure, renewable energy and AI,” said Modi.
He thanked the Polish government for helping Indian students stranded in Ukraine to return home via Poland in 2022.
“The conflict in Ukraine and West Asia is a matter of concern for us. India has reiterated that solutions to conflict cannot be found in the battlefield. The loss of innocent lives is a matter of grave concern. We recommend the resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. India is ready to work with other nations to help a resolution,’’ said Modi.
An Indian PM has visited Poland after a four-decade gap. “Finally, after 45 years! PM Modi, it is good to see you in Warsaw,’’ said Tusk.
The two leaders held talks in restricted and delegation-level formats. They engaged in wide-ranging discussions on various aspects of the bilateral partnership, including trade and investment, science and technology, defence and security, cultural cooperation and people-to-people ties.
The two leaders also spoke about the need for reforms in the United Nations, climate change action and threats posed by terrorism.
“A joint statement and an action plan (2024-28) for the implementation of the India-Poland Strategic Partnership were issued after the meeting of the two leaders,” according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
After concluding his trip to Warsaw, Modi is travelling to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv onboard a train under tight security. The journey will take around 10 hours.
A number of world leaders including US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Kyiv by train after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In his nearly seven-hour stay in Kyiv, Modi will hold one-on-one and delegation-level talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The talks are expected to largely focus on finding ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
India has not yet condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has been calling for resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy. In his summit talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month, Modi said a solution to the Ukraine conflict is not possible on the battlefield and peace talks do not succeed amidst bombs and bullets.