India and Poland working on agreements in cyber security, clean coal and space: EAM Jaishankar

Warsaw, Sep 4 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said on Friday that India and Poland are working on agreements in various sectors, including cyber security, space, clean coal, classified information and critical minerals. He expressed confidence that these agreements will add both texture and substance to bilateral ties.

Addressing a joint press conference with Polish Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski following their talks in Warsaw, EAM Jaishankar said that both nations share a long-standing cordial relationship that was elevated to Strategic Partnership in 2024. He noted that the closeness between the two nations is reflected in regular meetings of the political leadership and the institutional mechanisms in various sectors.

“Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and I, we reviewed the Action Plan that was agreed upon when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Poland two years ago. The report card we got was a very solid one, indicating an uptick in trade and investments, deeper defence collaboration, expansion in traditional areas like mining and energy as well as new possibilities emerging in space, digital, AI and innovation,” said EAM Jaishankar.

“Where mechanisms are concerned, Foreign Office Consultations were held recently. Our Joint Commission had met and as you heard from the Deputy Prime Minister, the defence working group…We are working on agreements in many other domains including cyber security, space, clean coal, classified information, critical minerals etc and I am confident that they will add both texture and substance to our ties,” he added.

EAM Jaishankar announced that the second edition of the Jamsaheb Memorial Youth Exchange Programme will take place in October. He said that India’s Indology and Sanskrit programme are also doing well in Polish universities.

He highlighted that the ties between India and the European Union (EU) have deepened in the past few years and termed the recent Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two sides as the “centrepiece” of it. The minister mentioned that India-EU FTA will open several economic opportunities for both countries.

“While we have important bilateral partnerships and all indicators point to sustained growth, there are two aspects that I particularly want to highlight today. One, in the last few years, India’s ties with the European Union have deepened very visibly. The centrepiece of that is, of course, the Free Trade Agreement, which President Ursula von der Leyen described as the ‘Mother of All Deals’. This will open up immense economic opportunities to both nations. As a key member of the European Union, Poland naturally stands to gain in that process. Deputy Prime Minister and I therefore discussed how we can take advantage of this new scenario. It will require vigorous follow-up action, and we can help each other in this regard,” he stated.

According to the Polish Foreign Ministry, Friday’s talks between EAM Jaishankar and Sikorski focused on implementing the Strategic Partnership, the state of cooperation in selected sectors, including defence, space and shipbuilding, the security situation in Europe, multilateral and regional cooperation and issues related to monuments and commemoration, as well as cooperation between think tanks.

–IANS

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