Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday for a three-day visit to India, with plans to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, October 22, as both
countries look to strengthen their strategic partnership and expand economic cooperation.
The visit, scheduled from October 21 to 23, comes amid efforts to increase annual bilateral trade from $6 billion to $10 billion, with business, defence, and technology cooperation expected to feature prominently in discussions.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two leaders will review the full spectrum of India-Poland relations, which were elevated to a Strategic Partnership during PM Modi’s visit to Poland in August 2024. They will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal welcomed Tusk’s arrival in a post on X, saying, “The visit will provide fresh impetus to the India-Poland Strategic Partnership and further deepen our longstanding ties.”
Tusk was received at the airport by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Raj Bhushan Chaudhary.
India-Poland Trade Target Set At $10 Billion
Former Polish Ambassador to India Adam Burakowski said Tusk’s visit is primarily focused on expanding economic ties between the two countries. He highlighted the target of increasing annual bilateral economic cooperation from around $6 billion to $10 billion.
“This visit is mainly on business, and the big focus on business there will be one economic forum in Delhi and another one in Bengaluru,” Burakowski said, according to ANI.
He added that several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were expected to be signed between Polish and Indian companies. Discussions would also cover cooperation in space and defence.
Burakowski said the trade expansion target had been set by the two countries’ foreign ministers, Radosław Sikorski and S Jaishankar. He also described the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a key instrument for achieving the target.
“The India-EU free trade agreement is a key instrument to achieve this goal because it’s the biggest FTA that the European Union has signed with anybody and vice versa,” he said, adding that the agreement could open up markets and help increase economic cooperation.
Business Forums In Delhi And Bengaluru
A major business delegation is accompanying Tusk, along with Poland’s Minister of Finance and Economy, Andrzej Domanski. An India-Poland Business Forum is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on October 22 and in Bengaluru on October 23.
After his official engagements in the national capital, Tusk is scheduled to travel to Bengaluru, where he will interact with business stakeholders, including representatives from the information technology and space sectors.
The MEA said the visit would provide an opportunity to advance cooperation in trade and investment, defence, emerging technologies, renewable energy, education, culture and people-to-people ties. It would also help deepen the India-EU strategic partnership.
Defence, Space And Technology In Focus
Burakowski described the visit as an important moment in the development of bilateral relations, noting that the two countries were discussing trade, defence and space technology.
“Recently, there was a mission that included two astronauts, one from Poland and the other from India. We can say that this is the start of a new era,” he said.
Michał Matlak, director of the ŁUKASIEWICZ-ITECH Institute of Innovation and Technology, also highlighted the potential for closer cooperation between Polish and Indian institutions, including universities, research organisations and startups.
“It’s important for us because of the importance of India, and the fact that India’s role in world affairs is now very meaningful,” Matlak said, adding that India’s economy and technology sector were an important source of inspiration for Poland.
He also pointed to opportunities for academic and research collaboration through the European Union’s Horizon programme, saying Indian academics would be able to receive European funding for research conducted with European partners.
Visit Builds On Recent Diplomatic Engagements
Tusk’s visit follows PM Modi’s trip to Poland in August 2024, when bilateral relations were upgraded to a Strategic Partnership.
It is Tusk’s second visit to India as Polish Prime Minister, following his earlier visit in 2010. He had also visited New Delhi in 2017 for the India-EU Summit in his capacity as president of the European Council, according to the MEA statement cited by PTI.
The visit also follows Jaishankar’s meeting with Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw on September 4.
The two reviewed progress on the Joint Action Plan 2024-28, covering trade and investment, space, digital technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, defence, education, shipping, mining, energy, culture and multilateral cooperation.
Jaishankar also said the two sides discussed supply-chain resilience, food, fuel and fertiliser security, as well as deeper India-EU cooperation.
