India and Poland hold bilateral talks during Polish FM's 1st diplomatic visit in 9 years

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held bilateral talks with his Poland counterpart Zbigniew Rau on April 25, on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue being hosted in New Delhi. 

Zbigniew Rau arrived in New Delhi on Monday for a two-day visit to India, to hold bilateral talks with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar and attend the Raisina Dialogue. This is the first time in nine years that a Polish Foreign Minister has visited India.

The India-Poland partnership strengthened during the fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war as the European nation aided India to rescue its stranded citizens from war-torn Ukraine. Both the leaders shared their mutual commitment to enhance the ties between the two nations. Dr. Jaishankar also lauded the Poland government for facilitating the evacuation of Indian nationals ‘Operation Ganga.’ 

Poland Foreign Minister's first bilateral visit to India

Dr. S Jaishankar informed that he had held an 'engaging conversation' with the visiting Poland Foreign Minister. In a tweet, he wrote, "An engaging conversation with FM @RauZbigniew of Poland. Thanked him for facilitating the evacuation of our students during #OperationGanga. Our commitment to growing our partnership was visible. Resumption of direct flights will enhance exchanges in all fields." 

"A warm welcome to FM @RauZbigniew of Poland on his first visit to India. The visit will strengthen our bilateral relations. The Polish FM will also participate in discussions at #Raisina2022," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. 

According to an earlier statement from Poland's Foreign Ministry, the Polish Foreign Minister's visit took place during Poland's chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), with the primary goal of attending the Raisina Dialogue international conference from April 25 to 26. 

The Poland Foreign Minister will attend a panel on the state of play in the EU and will outline the OSCE's efforts to resolve conflicts. "In this way, he will present Poland's position as the OSCE chair on major international issues, in particular the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine and its international implications," the Poland Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

During the two-day visit, the leaders are expected to hold business discussions aimed at promoting the Polish-Indian cooperation in green technologies. In addition, the head of Polish diplomacy is expected to offer a speech on Poland's current foreign policy priorities at the Indian Diplomatic Academy.

Image: ANI