Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Poland on August 21, 2024, stands out as a key event in India’s foreign policy. It shows India’s dedication to building stronger connections with Europe. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland, after Former PM Morarji Desai in 1979, earlier to that both Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had visited the country. It also came at a crucial time as both nations celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations.
The relation between India and Poland goes back to the years much before India’s independence. In the years of Second World War, thousands including Polish children taken refuge in India near places like Jamnagar, Kolhapur, Balachadi. Over the years, India and Poland have seen their economic ties grow stronger. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, Poland played a significant role in helping India build up its industries, especially in mining and heavy sectors. Working together on new tech and setting up businesses together were at the heart of this relationship. Poland shared its know-how about coal mining with India, an area where Poland had lots of experience under its belt.
Culturally, the exchange between India and Poland has been rich and diverse. India’s Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s, writings left a significant impact on Polish intellectual circles, one of his famous translations into Polish the play ‘The Post Office’ deserves a special attention. Indian films, literature, and art have found a receptive audience in Poland, fostering a deep cultural connection. Similarly, Poland’s rich history, literature, and music have influenced Indian artists and scholars.
PM Modi’s trip started with his visit to the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Memorial in Warsaw, followed by the Kolhapur Memorial to pay homages for the great contributions. Later in the day, during his interaction with the diaspora community, he highlighted the help provided by Poland during the earthquake in Gujarat, two decades ago, and also during the Russia Ukraine conflicts, that demonstrates the intensity of the relationship between New Delhi and Warsaw.
India and Poland have identified several key areas for cooperation, including trade and investments, defence and security, science and technology, and culture. Trade between the two countries have been steadily growing, with both countries recognizing the potential for expanding their economic partnership. According to figures cited by the Embassy of India, the total value of bilateral trade increased from $1.95 billion to $5.72 billion from 2013-2023, with India’s exports accounting for a majority. Indian companies have invested in Poland’s manufacturing sector, while Polish companies have found opportunities in India’s IT and pharmaceutical industries.
To strengthen Trade and investment both sides agreed to explore further cooperation in the sphere of high technology, agriculture, food technology, climate and energy, defence, healthcare. They also agreed to work together and fully utilize the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) to achieve desire goal at the end of next year.
During PM Modi’s meet with his Polish counterpart PM Donald Tusk, recognizing their long-standing ties, the two leaders underscored that as the world’s two largest democracies, the EU and India have a common interest in ensuring security, prosperity and sustainable development in a “multi-polar World”. They also reaffirmed their commitment to deepen India-EU Strategic Partnership, which would not only benefit both sides but also have a far-reaching positive impact internationally. Both the leaders being of the same opinion agreed to prepare and bring off a five-year action plan to escort bilateral partnership in the years 2024-2028.
Using the same forum both the leaders their deepest concern over the war raging in Ukraine including its terrible and tragic humanitarian consequences. PM Modi again specified that “India firmly believes that no problem can be solved on the battlefield”.
One of the significant topics that came out in the discussion between the two leaders’ “Terrorism” Both sides stressed the need for firm implementation of relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, as well as the implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. They also reaffirmed on the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).
An Outreach to Eastern and Central Europe?
From the other side, PM Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Poland, later on Ukraine in the following days reveals a crux of India’s geopolitical maneuver. India’s aggressive neighbour, China trying to make its path in the continent. This year in the month May, Chinese President Xi Jinping made a visit to two Eastern Europe countries namely Serbia, Hungary and in the west, France. Scholars and experts argued that this step of China was divide to Europe, to solidify Chinese stronghold in the region, which gives India a significant point to make efforts in building ties with countries in the same.
PM Modi’s visit to Denmark in the year 2022, meeting with Nordic countries followed by the visit to Greece in 2023 and the last month trip to Austria manifests India’s growing interest in different parts of Europe, earlier which used to be focused mainly on countries like Russia, France, Germany, Britain. Diversifying relationships will help India in maintaining its economic and security ties at the same having a stack between the other powers like China, Russia.
In terms of trade, this region, with its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, offers India an access to a market of over 100 million people, as a result India’s trade and investment in the region has grown steadily.
To sum up, India sees Poland much more than just a key partner in Central Europe. It views the country as a gateway for deeper connections with the EU and the Trans-Atlantic community. The world now faces big challenges, from conflicts between nations to changes in the climate. In this context, the partnership between India and Poland shows how diplomacy, working together, and respecting each other can help build a brighter future. Similarly, as geopolitics continue to shift, India’s outreach to countries in different parts of Europe looks promising, as for New Delhi there’s nothing to lose, instead can be a stepping stone for future cooperation.
