NEW DELHI: Looking to further expand their strategic partnership, India and Poland agreed to double bilateral trade by 2030 and announced dialogue mechanisms for defence industrial collaboration and counterterrorism cooperation as PM Narendra Modi hosted his counterpart Donald Tusk for talks Thursday.Modi and Tusk expressed deepest concern in a joint statement over the war in Ukraine, including its tragic humanitarian consequences and the impact on Global South. In his media statement, Modi assured Tusk that whether it is Ukraine or West Asia, India will continue to support every meaningful effort for peace.Poland views the war in Ukraine as a direct threat to its national security and sovereignty due to its shared border, influx of refugees and the threat of future Russian aggression in eastern Europe.“They reiterated the need for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in line with international law, consistent with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said the joint statement. The leaders also noted the negative impacts of the war on global food and energy security, especially for the Global South.Modi and Tusk, the first Polish PM to visit India in 16 years, also backed an MoU under negotiation for cooperation in critical minerals.Modi said the friendship between India and Poland was based not only on diplomatic ties but also on a shared heritage of humanity and empathy. He recalled how, during the Second World War, the royal families of Jamnagar and Kolhapur had provided shelter in India to thousands of Polish children and families. He also thanked Poland for helping India evacuate Indian students from Ukraine shortly after the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022.Modi said the world was passing through a period of uncertainty and change, and even in such times, both India and Poland were emerging as important hubs of growth, technology and innovation.“Today we have agreed to deepen ties in defence, space and nuclear energy. In all these strategic sectors, we invite Polish companies to engage in co-development and co-production with India,” he said.He also announced a startup bridge to facilitate cooperation in IT, Artificial Intelligence and critical technologies.“Both India and Poland believe in democratic values and the rule of law,” Modi said, underlining that both sides considered reforms essential to make global governance institutions more empowered.The two countries agreed that the UN needed structural reforms, including expansion of UNSC in both permanent and non-permanent categories, to remain relevant, credible and effective. In the joint statement, Poland expressed support for India’s membership of a more inclusive, reformed and expanded UNSC, as well as its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the council for 2028-29.Modi and Tusk unequivocally condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and stressed that there could be no justification for terrorism on any grounds.“They condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attack in J&K’s Pahalgam on 22 April, 2025. They called for strong and concerted action against terrorists and terrorist entities, including those designated by the UNSC 1267 sanctions committee,” said the joint statement.
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Defence and security cooperation was a major focus, with the leaders underlining importance of an Agreement on Mutual Protection and Exchange of Classified Information and expressing expectation it would be signed soon.They proposed a defence industry dialogue to develop a “forward-looking framework for defence industrial cooperation”, including business-to-business engagement and, where mutually agreed, partnerships in technology, co-development, co-production and other forms of collaboration.
