NEW DELHI, India / AsiaWire.IO / – India and Poland will set up a Defence Industry Dialogue and launch a dialogue on counter-terrorism, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The announcements were part of a list of outcomes issued by India’s Press Information Bureau on October 22. The two leaders also set a target of doubling bilateral trade by 2030. In addition, Poland joined the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.
Modi said the two sides had agreed to deepen ties in defence, space and nuclear energy. He invited Polish firms to pursue co-development and co-production with India in these fields. Tusk appeared to refer to Polish drones used by the Indian military during Operation Sindoor, saying they were very useful, without elaborating. The new counter-terrorism dialogue gives the two governments a dedicated channel for security cooperation.
Tusk is in India on an official visit from October 21 to 23, his second as Polish Prime Minister after a 2010 trip. Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański is travelling with him, along with a large business delegation. Domański said about 100 companies were taking part and that Poland wanted to increase defence exports to India. Business forums were scheduled in New Delhi on October 22 and in Bengaluru on October 23.
Trade target set at double current levels
Bilateral trade currently stands at about $6 billion a year, according to PTI news agency. Modi said the India-EU free trade agreement, once in force, would open the Polish market to Indian machinery, chemicals, plastics and engineering goods. He also expects Polish investment in railways and mobility, advanced manufacturing, food processing and biotechnology. Critical minerals and coal gasification were named as new areas of cooperation.
Tusk said Europe needed to become more independent in minerals and strategic resources. He said India and Poland had no conflicts of interest or historical issues dividing them. Modi said India would continue to back every meaningful effort to bring peace in Ukraine and West Asia. India has been deepening its economic ties with Europe, and senior European Union leaders attended its Republic Day celebrations in January.
Partnership builds on 2024 action plan
The two countries upgraded relations to a Strategic Partnership in August 2024, during Modi’s visit to Warsaw. It was the first trip to Poland by an Indian Prime Minister in 45 years. A five-year action plan for 2024 to 2028 covers trade, investment, defence, energy, green technologies, agriculture and infrastructure. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the plan during Thursday’s talks.
Modi recalled that the royal families of Jamnagar and Kolhapur sheltered Polish children and families during World War II. He also thanked Poland for helping Indian students leave Ukraine in 2022. In Bengaluru, Tusk is set to meet representatives of the technology and space sectors. The visit comes weeks after Modi hosted Swiss President Guy Parmelin for talks in New Delhi.