Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday left for a two-nation visit where he will visit Poland and Ukraine. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister will first visit Poland from August 21 to 22 and then march to Kyiv on August 23. Notably, this will be the first visit of the Prime Minister to Poland after a gap of 45 years. Earlier, the then PM Morarji Desai had visited Warsaw in 1979. The year 2024 celebrates the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Poland. During his visit, PM Modi will meet his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk and will also meet Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Indian community. In the Polish capital Warsaw, PM Modi will be accorded a ceremonial welcome and will have the opportunity to interact with business leaders and prominent ecologists.
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Agenda of PM Modi’s visit to Poland
The Ministry of External Affairs recalled the centuries-old ties between India and Poland and how Poland had assisted India in evacuating its students from Ukraine after the conflict broke out in 2022. It also talked about the episode of the 1940s when more than 6000 Polish women and children were given refuge in the princely states of Jamnagar and Kolhapur. The Indian community in Poland numbers around 25,000. It includes about 5,000 students. The government and people of Poland had offered valuable assistance during ‘Operation Ganga’ to evacuate Indian students from Ukraine. More than 4,000 Indian students were evacuated via Poland. When asked about the agreements in defense cooperation between the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said that defense cooperation is very old. We have an agreement on defense cooperation which was signed in 2003.
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PM Modi’s message to Ukraine
Before leaving the country, PM Modi said that he is looking forward to the opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation and share perspectives on a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Today, I am leaving on an official visit to the Republic of Poland and Ukraine. I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelensky. This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. I am looking forward to the opportunity to take forward earlier conversations with President Zelensky on strengthening bilateral cooperation and sharing perspectives on a peaceful resolution of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. As a friend and partner we hope for an early return of peace and stability in the region.
