PM Modi in Poland: India Poland elevates ties to Strategic Partnership

India and Poland have agreed to elevate their bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to Poland. Prime Minister Modi is on a two-nation -Poland and Ukraine, from 21 to 23 August 2024. 

He first visited Poland and will undertake a 10-hour-long train journey to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, on 23 August 2024 to become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Ukraine.

Prime Minister Morarji Desai visited Poland in 1979, and after a 45-year gap, the Indian Prime Minister also visited Poland.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Poland marks 45 years since the visit of an Indian prime Minister and an Indian Prime Minister visited Poland. Prime Minister Morarji Desai visited Poland in 1979. 

In 2024, India and Poland are celebrating 70 years since establishing their diplomatic ties.

Outcome of Prime Minister Modi's Visit to Poland 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day visit to Poland on 21-22 August 2024. He met the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Sebastian Duda.

During the Meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Donald Tusk in Polish Capital, Warsaw, on 22 August, both countries agreed to elevate their relationship to a Strategic Partnership.

They agreed on a  five-year Action Plan that will guide bilateral collaboration in identified areas of cooperation from 2024 to 2028.

• Both countries will hold annual political dialogues at the level of deputy ministers in charge of foreign relations.
• Meetings of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) are to be held at least twice a year to increase cooperation in the fields of high-tech, agriculture, smart cities, defence, healthcare,agritech, food tech, energy, climate, green technologies, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and mining, 
• Both countries will cooperate in developing sustainable and environmentally friendly technological solutions for the circular economy and waste-water management.
• On the 75th Anniversary of establishing Diplomatic Relations (in 2029), both sides will hold cultural festivals in each other's countries.

PM Modi Visits Three Memorials in Poland 

During his visit to Poland, PM Modi visited Good Maharaja Square, the Monte Cassino Memorial, and the Kolhapur family memorial in Warsaw.

Good Maharaja Square

Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar -Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhj offered shelter to around 1000 Jewish Polish children aged two to 17 years who came to India from Siberia, Russia, during the Second World War. They came to India after the Soviet Union invaded Poland in 1939, which was under Nazi Germany's occupation.

Later, in 2014, a memorial was built in Warsaw to honour the Maharaja, known in Poland as the Good Maharaja.

Around eight Polish primary and secondary schools are named after Jam Saheb.

Kolhapur Memorial 

The Kolhapur Memorial is built adjacent to the Good Maharaja Square.

Due to its favourable climate, the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawanagar kept the Polish Children in the Valivade village of Kolhapur (Maharashtra).

Monte Cassino Memorial

The monument was built as a tribute to over 900 Polish soldiers of the Second Polish Corps who were killed during the Second World War in 1944 at the Battle of Monte Cassino.

India Poland Relationship

Diplomatic relations between India and Poland were established in 1954, and an Indian Embassy was opened in Warsaw in 1957. India’s first prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, visited Poland in 1955.

Indology, which studies Indian history, culture, philosophy, etc., is also very strong in Poland. 

Sanskrit was studied at the 600-year-old Jagiellonian University in Krakow in 1860-61, and a Chair of Sanskrit was established there in 1893. 

During the Visit to Poland, Prime Minister Modi met the renowned Polish Indologist and Padam Shri awardee Prof. Maria Christopher Byrski, Prof. Monika Browarczyk, Prof. Halina Marlewicz, Prof. Danuta Stasik and Prof. Przemyslaw Szurek.

About Poland 

Poland is a Central European country which came into existence as a sovereign country in 1918.

Nazi Germany conquered it during the second world war, and Germans killed almost the entire Jewish population.

It became a communist state after the defeat of the Nazi Germany.

In 1989, after the fall of the communist government, Poland became a democratic country.

Later, it became a member of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO.

President :Andrzej Sebastian Duda

Prime Minister: Donald Tusk 

Capital: Warsaw 

Currency: Polish zloty