Font Size
New Delhi : External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar expressed satisfaction at meeting with the India-Poland Parliamentary Group, led by Kinga Gajewska, during his visit to Warsaw. The two sides exchanged views on shaping a modern and forward-looking relationship between India and Poland, while also touching upon wider regional developments within the broader framework of India’s engagement with the European Union. Dr. Jaishankar further expressed hope for continued, regular interaction between the parliamentary friendship groups of the two nations.
Background: The India-Poland Relationship
- India and Poland formally established diplomatic relations on 30 March 1954, with the Indian Embassy in Warsaw opening its doors three years later in 1957, marking the formal start of a bond built on shared opposition to colonialism and imperialism during that era.
- The two nations celebrated 70 years of diplomatic ties in 2024, an anniversary marked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Poland — notably the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in 45 years.
- During that landmark 2024 visit, the relationship was formally elevated to the level of a strategic partnership, with both sides adopting an Action Plan for 2024-2028 to guide cooperation across key sectors going forward.
- Momentum has continued into 2026, with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski travelling to India for the first high-level visit since the strategic partnership upgrade, focusing discussions on political dialogue, security cooperation, and technological collaboration.
- Poland has emerged as India’s largest trading and investment partner within Central and Eastern Europe, with bilateral trade reaching roughly EUR 5.68 billion in 2025, alongside India’s exports to Poland spanning sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, machinery, and auto parts.
- Defence ties have also gathered pace in recent years, with India establishing a defence attaché position in Warsaw and Polish firms increasingly securing contracts and exploring joint ventures within India’s defence manufacturing sector.
- Beyond politics and trade, the two countries share a distinctive historical bond rooted in humanitarian solidarity — most notably the Polish refugees sheltered by the Maharaja of Jamnagar during the Second World War, a gesture still commemorated today through streets, schools, and monuments named in his honour across Poland.
- The countries also share a wartime legacy at the Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944, where Indian and Polish soldiers fought side by side, a chapter of military cooperation still honoured through a dedicated monument.