New Delhi, Jan 16 (IANS) Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister Radoslaw Sikorski and his wife, Anne Applebaum, will be on a visit to India from January 17-19, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday. Sikorski is scheduled to hold talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Monday.
Radoslaw Sikorski and his wife will arrive in Jaipur on Saturday, where he is scheduled to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival. After concluding his engagements in Jaipur, he will travel to New Delhi on Sunday.
India and Poland held the 11th round of Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi last month and agreed to expedite cooperation in the sectors of defence and security, science and technology, cyber security and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Secretary (West) at the MEA, Sibi George and Polish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Wladyslaw T Bartoszewski co-chaired the meeting.
During the discussions, the two sides reiterated their commitment towards fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. The Polish side expressed its support for early conclusion of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and European Union.
“The 11th round of India-Poland Foreign Office Consultations was co-chaired by Secretary(West) Sibi George and Polish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Wladyslaw T Bartoszewski in New Delhi today. Both sides took stock of progress under the India-Poland Strategic Partnership, particularly with reference to the Five Year Action Plan (2024-2028) agreed during the visit of PM Narendra Modi to Poland in August 2024,” the MEA stated after the meeting.
“They also agreed to expedite cooperation in the areas of defence and security, science and technology, cyber security and AI. Both sides reiterated their commitment towards fighting terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Poland is the largest trading partner of India in Central and Eastern Europe. The Polish side further reiterated its support for an early conclusion of India-EU FTA,” the statement added.
In September, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a telephonic conversation with his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski, reiterating India’s stance for an early cessation of hostilities and an enduring solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
“Spoke to Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski of Poland today. He shared his concern about recent developments pertaining to Poland’s security. I underlined that India favors an early end to hostilities and a durable solution for the Ukraine conflict,” the EAM posted on X after the phone call.
–IANS
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