On August 21, 2024, Prime Minister Modi landed in Warsaw[i], Poland to commence dialogue with Prime Minister Donald Tusk. This marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland after 1979, a first in 45 years. It is also significant since 2024 marked 70 years of diplomatic ties[ii] between India and Poland. This visit is part of a larger agenda to forge stronger ties with Central Europe, of which Poland, Ukraine, Austria as well as other Baltic and Nordic countries are crucial strongholds. These nations gain significant traction given the consistent breakdown of the post-Cold War agreements, a stark display of which is posed by the Russia-Ukraine war. Hence, with a new emerging global order on the cards, India is taking an affirmative step to address the deficit in bilateral ties with Central Europe. In pursuit of the Strategic Partnership, both countries have agreed to a Five-Year Joint Action Plan for 2024-28.
India established diplomatic ties with Poland in 1954. Both countries are united by their shared history of combating colonialism, adopting a democratic form of government, and opting for hard currency trading arrangements. Poland is India’s key economic partner, especially since its addition to the EU in 2004. The two countries have fostered the exchange of clean coal technologies that have played a significant role in enhancing India’s mining and power generation capabilities.[iii] The Polish IT industry benefits proportionally from the presence of Indian blue-chip IT Companies[iv], including Infosys and HCL. Chemical products and textile articles are additional avenues of exchange between the two countries.[v] Between 1942 and 1948, India was an important destination of refuge during WW-II as the princely states of Jamnagar and Kolhapur sheltered around 6,000 Polish women and children.[vi] Cultural relations between the two countries have been ignited since 2014, with the inauguration of various collaborative monuments and camps in Warsaw, Poland such as the Valivade-Kolhapur camp at Warsaw.[vii]
Historically, India has held a non-aligned stance stoutly throughout the Cold War and for several decades well into the unipolar world order. Recently India has begun to voice its tilt toward a multi-alignment stance with PM Modi quoting “For decades, India’s policy was to maintain distance from all countries….Today, India’s policy is to maintain close ties with all countries”.[viii]
India’s influence is prospectively growing in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific as a whole. Parallelly, Poland is the boiling pot of operations for NATO to strengthen Ukraine; the country is hence growing in strategic importance in post-Brexit Europe. Poland and India show promising signs of growth in bilateral trade, with India being Poland’s second largest market[ix] for foreign direct investment in Asia. In addition, India was Poland’s 28th largest trading partner as of 2019.[x] This bilateral relation holds enormous potential to unfold and grow as both India and Poland provide the other a lucrative gateway into Central Europe and South Asia respectively.
The key areas of bilateral Poland-India cooperation should ideally focus on research and development, particularly in electromobility. It is also essential to increase business contacts, including at the startup level. Joint development of hydrogen-related technologies, green technologies, solutions for the space sector, climate-friendly mining, and advancements in the agri-food sector hold promise.[xi] Expanding collaboration in security infrastructure and the capabilities of Defence and IT sectors is also warranted. Business cooperation between the two countries would be significantly strengthened by signing an India-EU trade and investment agreement, which would also enhance Poland’s reputation in the subcontinent.
The topic of security must not be overlooked. Although historical and domestic factors prevent India from taking a public stance critical of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, it is worth encouraging the Indian Prime Minister to adopt a more assertive position at the UN and in diplomatic circles.[xii] This is especially crucial given the global ramifications of the war, which impact India significantly, such as rising energy prices, food shortages, and disruptions in supply chains.
In Poland’s view, it is in India’s interest to support the “democratic world” in its struggle against all kinds of neo-imperialism and military aggression that threaten the principles of International Law and the United Nations Charter. This support is particularly meaningful in the context of India’s ambitions to secure a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, which Poland endorses. For India, the implementation of the Sagarmala maritime infrastructure expansion program represents a significant opportunity. This program provides 30 percent subsidies for ecological ports and shipyards, presenting a unique potential for collaboration with Poland.
PM Modi’s visit to Poland has launched a crucial alleviation for Indo-Poland relations. India is progressively switching tracks towards a multipolar world order, for which it feels the need to be visibly omnipresent. Its ties-deficit with Central Europe in the past now shows promising signs of revival with PM Modi’s visit to Poland and later Kyiv. This assertion also incentivises Poland to actively engage with Asia’s largest democracy. Wealthy trade prospects, rich cultural cooperation as well as defence and economic exchanges promise a sustainable relationship in the long run.
REFERENCES:
[1] “PM Modi Arrives In Warsaw, 1st Visit By Indian Prime Minister In 45 Years”, NDTV, published August 21 2024 https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pm-modi-arrives-in-warsaw-1st-visit-by-indian-prime-minister-in-45-years-6386050
[2] “India- Poland Joint Statement “Establishment of Strategic Partnership”, Ministry of External Affairs Government of India, published on August 22 2024 https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/38201/India+Poland+Joint+Statement++Establishment+of+Strategic+Partnership#:~:text=Mr.,anniversary%20of%20their%20diplomatic%20relations
[3] “Ministry of Coal signs an MoU with Ministry of Energy, Republic of Poland”, Press Information Bureau Government of India, published on February 4 2019 https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1562612
[4] “Poland eyes Indian investors with low-cost advantage”, Business Standard, published on April 26 2013 https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/poland-eyes-indian-investors-with-low-cost-advantage-113042600519_1.html
[5] “Sectors of Cooperation”, Embassy of India Poland, published on September 5 2024 https://www.indianembassywarsaw.gov.in/page/sectors-of-cooperatio
[6] “Poland and India commemorate maharajas who sheltered thousands of Polish refugees in WW2”, Notes from Poland, published on July 6 2022
[7] “Prime Minister visits the Kolhapur Memorial”, Ministry of External Affairs Government of India, published on August 21 2024 https://www.mea.gov.in/press-releases.htm?dtl/38194/Prime_Minister_visits_the_Kolhapur_Memorial#:~:text=The%20camp%20established%20at%20Valivade,Kolhapur%20camp%20and%20their%20descendants.
[8] “‘India’s Policy Was To Maintain Distance. Now…’: PM In Poland”, NDTV, published on August 22 2024 https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pm-modi-outlines-shift-in-indias-foreign-policy-in-poland-6388686
[9] “India and Poland: Time for a strategic partnership”, Observer Research Foundation, published on August 21 2024 https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-and-poland-time-for-a-strategic-partnership .
[10] ibid.
[11] “Action Plan (2024-2028) for the Implementation of the India-Poland Strategic Partnership”, Ministry of External Affairs Government of India, published on August 22 2024 https://www.mea.gov.in/bilateral-documents.htm?dtl/38202/Action+Plan+20242028+for+the+Implementation+of+the+IndiaPoland+Strategic+Partnership
[12] “India and Poland: Time for a strategic partnership”, Observer Research Foundation, published on August 21 2024 https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-and-poland-time-for-a-strategic-partnership
By Arshiya Khanna, Research Intern, CS3, USI