India, Poland hold 10th round of Foreign Office Consultations in Warsaw

During the meeting, the two sides discussed regional and international issues, including developments in the Indo-Pacific, India's neighbourhood, and the Ukraine conflict

India and Poland held 10th round of Foreign Office Consultations in Warsaw on December 12. During the meeting, the two sides discussed regional and international issues, including developments in the Indo-Pacific, India's neighbourhood, the Ukraine conflict, cooperation in multilateral fora including the United Nations, and United Nations Security Council reforms.

The two nations noted the potential of bilateral trade and investment ties. According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the bilateral trade between India and Poland has witnessed steady growth in recent years and it stood at USD 4.3 billion in 2021. The MEA noted that Indian companies have invested more than USD 3 billion in Poland while Polish investments in India were worth USD 700 million.

During the meeting, India and Poland identified agriculture, food processing, information technology and green transition as areas of interest for further enhancing bilateral ties. The two sides have expressed satisfaction at the discussions during the sixth round of the India-Poland joint commission meeting on Economic Cooperation held in October 2022.

For the meeting, the Indian side was led by Sanjay Verma, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs. Marcin Przydacz, Under Secretary of State for Security, the Americas, Asia & European Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland held the Polish side.

India and Poland also signed the agreement on gainful occupation by family members of diplomatic missions and posts. The two nations agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations at mutually convenient dates in New Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs in the press release said, "India and Poland share long-standing friendly relations with historical linkages. The consultations provided an opportunity to review the bilateral cooperation agenda across various sectors. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest."

On November 11, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar extended wishes to the government and people of Poland on their Independence Day. Jaishankar in a tweet expressed confidence that the "historical friendship" between the nations will continue to grow.

Dr S Jaishankar tweeted, "Independence Day greetings to FM @RauZbigniew and the Government and people of Poland. Confident that our historical friendship will continue to grow."

It is pertinent to mention here that Poland assisted India in 'Operation Ganga.' Notably, 'Operation Ganga' was an evacuation operation launched by the government of India to evacuate Indian nationals from Ukraine after Russia began its offensive on February 24.