New Delhi: India and Poland have agreed to set up a Defence Industry Dialogue to build a forward-looking framework for defence industrial cooperation, including co-development and co-production, a Joint Statement issued on Thursday after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk mentioned.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening defence and security cooperation, welcomed the outcomes of the 8th meeting of the Joint Working Group on Defence held in Warsaw in September, and agreed to maintain regular exchanges between the defence establishments of both countries.
“A Defence Industry Dialogue was proposed by the leaders to encourage the development of a forward-looking framework for defence industrial cooperation, including greater business-to-business engagement and, where mutually agreed, partnerships in technology, co-development, co-production and other forms of industrial collaboration,” the Joint Statement said.
Both sides underlined the importance of an Agreement on Mutual Protection and Exchange of Classified Information and expressed hope that it would be signed soon.
Welcoming the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership signed in January, PM Modi and Tusk stressed the need to strengthen bilateral cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, cybersecurity and defence innovation.
Recalling a shared chapter of history, the two sides described the memorial of the Maharaja Jamsaheb, popularly known as the ‘Good Maharaja’ in Poland, and the Principality of Kolhapur in Warsaw as a “living bridge” between the two peoples.
“India provided a home to thousands of Polish women and children during World War-II,” the statement noted, adding that two editions of the Jam Saheb Memorial Youth Exchange Programme had been held, the latest in October.
The two sides also recalled with appreciation the assistance extended by Polish authorities to more than 2,000 Indian students stranded in Ukraine under Operation Ganga.
An agreement on cooperation in culture, science and higher education will be concluded soon, while a cooperation agreement between the National Archives of India and Poland’s State Archives has been finalised and will be signed shortly, the statement said.
Sharing details regarding the meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said: “A new phase in the India–Poland Strategic Partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland held wide-ranging talks today. Building on the Strategic Partnership established in 2024, the leaders explored new avenues of cooperation in areas including AI, green technologies, critical minerals, and defence, while further deepening ties in trade, investment, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges.”
(IANS)
