India Poland Relations

Context: On August 21–22, 2024, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Shri Narendra Modi, visited Poland on official business at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Donald Tusk, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. As both countries commemorate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties, a historic visit took place.

India Poland Relations: Historical Background

• For several months during World War II, the Maharaja of Jamnagar hosted hundreds of Polish women and children who were fleeing to the West on his estate in Gujarat.
• The Warsaw landmark known as “Good Maharaja’s Square” bears the name of Jam Sahab Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji.
• To drive out German forces and clear the way for the Allies to reach Rome, Poles and Indians banded together in 1944 to retake the hill and monastery of Monte Cassino.
• Political Relations: After the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1954, the Indian Embassy in Warsaw opened its doors in 1957.

Economic Relations :

• In Central and Eastern Europe, Poland is still India’s main trading and investment partner. The entire amount of bilateral commerce with Poland increased by 192% between 2013 and 2023, from US$1.95 billion to US$5.72 billion. In 2023, India continues to benefit greatly from the trade balance.
  • Poland’s second-biggest foreign direct investment market in Asia is India. As per the National Bank of Poland’s data, Polish investments in India reached over PLN 380 million in 2021.

Sectoral Cooperation:

1. Mining and energy industry: Poland has well-known clean coal technologies, and Polish public sector enterprises have made significant contributions to the growth of India’s mining and power industries. Trainee engineers from M/s Coal India Limited have trained at intelligent mining-focused mines in Poland. On February 4, 2019, in New Delhi, India and Poland inked a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen their bilateral cooperation in the mining and coal industries.
2. Agro-food processing: Polish expertise and cutting-edge technology are widely acknowledged in the food processing sector. Polish food processing firms and entrepreneurs are eligible to take part in the Indian Mega Food Park initiative. A Joint Task Force on Food Processing has been established.
3. IT and ICT: The presence of a sizable number of blue-chip Indian IT companies in Poland indicates that Indian and Polish IT & ICT companies complement rather than compete with one another. Currently operating in Poland and running their European operations out of Poland are about eleven Indian IT businesses that employ over ten thousand experts. Rising earnings, data network investments, high levels of computer literacy support, and retail hardware demand are the main drivers of growth in the Polish IT industry. For more than ten years, Indian businesses have evaluated Poland’s potential and have chosen it as a location for near-shoring projects aimed at the European market. In Poland, Infosys and HCL are well-established.
4. Pharmaceutical and Chemicals Sector: Poland is a net importer of chemicals, and one of the main economic sectors in the country is the chemical industry. The top 5 things that India sends to Poland are chemical products, with organic compounds being the most popular. With Poland’s advantageous location, a scarcity of medical professionals, and a recent 25% expansion in the pharmaceutical industry, there are favourable prospects for Indian investors and exporters. Specific potential include over-the-counter medications, food supplements, and generic pharmaceuticals.
5. Textile Sector: The majority of Indian exports to Poland are still made up of textiles. Polish imports of Indian textiles and textile-related products reached US$ 645 million in 2023, a significant increase over the previous ten years. However, if a supportive climate is established for Indian exporters, there is significant potential to increase our exports in the textile industry.
6. Engineering Sector: In the past, Polish public sector businesses have made significant contributions to the growth of India’s mining and power industries. In addition to providing mining machinery, equipment, technical know-how, and training, they have worked together to reorganize a few Indian collieries.
7. Sub-national Partnership: India and Poland have six State-to-State cooperation/partnership agreements, with a focus on economic and commercial collaboration.

Educational and Cultural Centers :

1. Indology: Polish scholars have a long history of studying Indology, having translated Sanskrit into Polish as early as the 19th century. In 1860–1861, Sanskrit was being studied at the 600-year-old Jagiellonian University in Krakow, which is the oldest university in Poland. In 1893, the university created a Sanskrit Chair. The largest center of Indian studies in Central Europe is the Indology Department of the Oriental Institute at the University of Warsaw, which was founded in 1932.
2. Yoga: Yoga has been practiced in Poland for more than a century. With over 1,000 yoga facilities and 8,000 teachers promoting yoga in Poland, there are thought to be over 300,000 yoga practitioners there. Since its founding in 2013 with just 11 yoga schools, the Association of Schools of Yoga has grown to include 50 yoga schools. Among the well-known organizations advocating yoga in Poland are the Association of Yoga Iyengar, Brahma Kumaris University, and the Art of Living Foundation. Every year, numerous Polish cities mark the International Day of Yoga with great passion and involvement.

Significance of recent visit to Poland:

India- Poland Joint Statement “Establishment of Strategic Partnership” –

• Acknowledging their long-standing relationship, restating the enduring affinity between their nations and peoples, and pledging to fully utilize their connections, the two leaders agreed to raise the status of bilateral relations between Poland and India to that of a “Strategic Partnership.”
• The increasing bilateral connection between the two prime ministers is built on shared ideals of democracy, freedom, and an international order based on rules, as well as historical links. They reaffirmed their dedication to strengthening international, regional, and bilateral collaboration in the pursuit of a more secure, prosperous, and sustainable global community.
• The leaders decided to seek new, mutually beneficial areas of collaboration, promote trade and investment, and further strengthen bilateral economic relations. They also decided to make full use of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation in this regard. The leaders also concurred that the trade basket should be expanded and bilateral trade should be balanced.
• The necessity of implementing the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the pertinent decisions of the UN General Assembly and Security Council with vigor was emphasized by both parties. Additionally, they reiterated their support for the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) early adoption.
• Acknowledging the noteworthy obstacles presented by climate change, both presidents concurred on the significance of collaboration in climate action endeavours. Polish membership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) and the International Solar Alliance (ISA) were encouraged by the Indian side to be taken into consideration.
• A Joint Action Plan spanning five years, from 2024 to 2028, was agreed upon by both parties to implement the Strategic Partnership.

Five-year Plan of Action (2024-2028) for the Execution of the Strategic Partnership between Poland and India:

Building on the agreement reached by the Polish and Indian prime ministers during their August 22, 2024, meeting in Warsaw, and acknowledging the impetus for increased bilateral cooperation brought about by the creation of the Strategic Partnership, the parties decided to create and implement a five-year Action Plan that will direct bilateral cooperation in 2024–2028, prioritizing the following areas:

Political Interaction and Security Collaboration:

• The two parties shall uphold frequent communication between their foreign ministries, utilizing both bilateral and multilateral platforms for these exchanges.
  • The two sides will ensure the holding of an annual political dialogue at the level of deputy minister in charge of foreign relations.
• Both sides will consider supporting each other’s aspirations on a case-by-case basis to contribute to multilateral cooperation in the spirit of the United Nations Charter.
• The parties agree to support regular security and defence cooperation consultations with pertinent institutions to exchange ideas, update military hardware, and resolve unresolved concerns.
• The parties agreed that the Joint Working Group on Defense Cooperation’s next cycle will begin in 2024.

Trade and Investment: During the upcoming Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) meeting, which is slated for the end of 2024, the two sides will discuss further cooperation in these sectors after realizing the potential in high-tech, agriculture, agritech, food tech, energy, climate, green technologies, infrastructure, smart cities, defense, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and mining.

• The two parties agree to work toward scheduling JCEC meetings at least twice every five years, with the potential for more frequent gatherings if needed.
• In order to promote seamless trade and investment, all parties would strive to achieve balanced bilateral trade.

In order to improve economic security cooperation, both parties will concentrate on strengthening supply chain resilience and reducing the risks related to trade linkages.

Climate, Energy, Mining, Science, and Technology:

• The two parties will increase their collaboration in the development of ecologically friendly and sustainable technology solutions for waste-water management and the circular economy.
• Understanding the critical role of innovation and the growing importance of critical minerals, the two sides will collaborate on advanced mining systems, high-tech machinery, pioneering safety standards, and increased exchanges and cooperation in mining-related industries.
• Both parties committed to working toward completing a cooperative agreement that will support the secure, safe, and sustainable use of space and the ecosystems that support commercial space. They also decided to support robotic and human exploration.

Poland acknowledges India’s desire to become a member of the International Energy Agency.

Transport and Connectivity:

• Both parties will investigate ways to expand their collaboration in the area of transportation infrastructure development.
  By discussing and seeking additional airline connections, the two parties will endeavor to improve connectivity between their respective nations and areas.

Terrorism:

• Both parties reaffirmed their categorical rejection of terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations and stressed that no government should offer sanctuary to individuals who plan, organize, finance, or carry out terrorist activities. Together, the two sides will work tirelessly to combat all terrorists, even if it means blacklisting members of organizations that the UN Security Council sanctions committee has included on its list.

Cybersecurity:

• Both parties will strengthen their close collaboration and increased exchanges in ICT-related fields, acknowledging the critical role that cyber security plays in social and economic development. Special attention will be paid to legislative and regulatory solutions, judicial and police activities, deterrence, prevention, and responses to cyberattacks, awareness-raising and educational initiatives, scientific and technological research and development, and business and economic exchanges.

Health:

• Both parties emphasize the critical need of bolstering cooperation in the sphere of health by exchanging and sharing information on topics of shared interest, fostering relationships between medical professionals, and promoting coordination between health institutions in both nations.

People-to-People Ties and Cross-Cultural Cooperation:

• Both parties will cooperate in carrying out the Social Security Agreement and endeavour to finalize their respective internal legal processes concerning the same.
• The two parties will improve collaboration between their respective nations’ cultural institutions and organizations. The two parties will improve communication between scholars, artists, and cultural institutions from their respective nations. They will also look into fostering communication and collaboration between their expertise and think tanks.
• The two parties will collaborate to promote collaboration in higher education and to support the organizing of pertinent events by universities on both sides. Additionally, they will push the relevant authorities to create alliances between academic institutions in the two nations.
• Noting the value of education as well as language and cultural interchange in promoting mutual understanding and bilateral cultural connections, the parties agreed. The Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange and the corresponding Indian agencies agreed to work on an agreement between them about the teaching of Polish at various Indian universities. They also acknowledged the importance of Hindi and Indian studies in Poland as well as Polish language and culture studies in India.
• By stepping up their tourism-related cooperation, both parties will keep bringing in more visitors from both directions.
• Both sides will have cultural events in each other’s nations, coordinated by the diplomatic missions, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the start of diplomatic relations. We will confer with each other to choose the dates of these unique occasions.
• Additionally, both parties will support student exchange programs and foster understanding between the younger generation.
• India-EU: Both sides will support the early conclusion of the ongoing trade and investment negotiations, the operationalization of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC), and the implementation of the India-EU Connectivity Partnership to advance the India-EU Strategic Partnership in trade, new technologies, and security. This is because they recognize that the EU and India are important international partners that play a significant role in promoting peace, stability, and prosperity.

The Way Ahead
Both parties will make sure that the Action Plan is implemented on a regular basis, with the yearly political consultation serving as the main means of assessing and revising the initiatives. The ministries responsible for foreign relations will decide whether to extend the Action Plan for a further five years.

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