New Delhi [India], October 22 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar,on Thursday called on Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk who is in India on a two-day visit. Jaishankar appreciated Tusk's thoughts on 'deepening India - Poland cooperation across a wide range of domains.' 

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, 'Pleased to call on Prime Minister Donald Tusk @donaldtuskof Poland. Appreciated his sharing thoughts on  deepening India - Poland cooperation across a wide range of domains.'

https://x.com/DrSJaishankar/status/2113132401618764079

He also said that he looked forward to Tusk's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to advance the bilateral 'Strategic Partnership.'

He said, 'Look forward to his meeting with PM @narendramodi to advance our Strategic Partnership.' 

The meeting with EAM Jaishankar comes as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday for an official visit to India from October 21 to 23 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit, accompanied by Poland's Minister of Finance and Economy Andrzej Domanski and a business delegation, aims to strengthen the India-Poland Strategic Partnership and expand cooperation in trade, defence, technology and other sectors.

After the meeting, Tusk will also participate in the wreath-laying ceremony in Rajghat to pay tribute to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi. 

PM Modi and Tusk will also hold bilateral talks on Thursday to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest. Tusk will also participate in the India-Poland Business Forum in New Delhi before travelling to Bengaluru on October 23 to engage with leaders from the information technology and space sectors.

India and Poland elevated their bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership during Modi's visit to Poland in August 2024. Tusk's current visit is the first by a Polish Prime Minister to India since 2010.

Former Polish Ambassador to India Adam Burakowski highlighted the economic significance of the visit, stating that both countries aim to increase annual bilateral trade from approximately USD 6 billion to USD 10 billion.

'This visit is mainly on business, and the big focus on business there will be one economic forum in Delhi and another one in Bengaluru. And there will be many MoUs signed between Polish and Indian companies,' Burakowski said.

He added that discussions would also focus on cooperation in space and defence, describing the visit as an opportunity to expand economic ties between the two countries.

'The India-EU free trade agreement is a key instrument to achieve this goal because it's the biggest FTA that the European Union has signed with anybody and vice versa,' he said, adding that the agreement could help increase economic cooperation.

Reflecting on the significance of the visit, Burakowski said, 'What are we discussing right now is about trade, the defence sector and space technology. Recently, there was a mission that included two astronauts-one from Poland and the other from India. We can say that this is the start of a new era.'

Micha Matlak, Director of the UKASIEWICZ-ITECH Institute of Innovation and Technology, also underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral ties, pointing to India's growing role in global affairs and its technological capabilities.

'In 2024, Prime Minister Modi was in Poland, and he upgraded the Polish-Indian relationship to a strategic one. And now the Prime Minister is here to even strengthen and to give some kind of meaning to this partnership,' Matlak said.

He highlighted opportunities for collaboration between Polish institutions and India's research and technology ecosystem, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and startups.

'This will give us lots of opportunities,' Matlak said, also referring to India's participation in the European Union's Horizon research programme as an opportunity for academics to access European research funding in collaboration with European partners.

The MEA said Tusk's visit would provide fresh impetus to the India-Poland Strategic Partnership and further deepen longstanding ties between the two countries. (ANI)