Poland keen to deepen cooperation with India in defence, space, cyber-security

New Delhi, Jun 14 (PTI) Poland is keen to deepen cooperation with India in defence, space, cyber-security and other sectors, with a top Polish official on Tuesday saying that both sides have held "fruitful" conversations in Delhi over multiple areas of engagement. Polish Secretary of State, Wladyslaw T Bartoszewski and Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology in Poland, Michał Baranowski, who are visiting India, held a press meet here, with Bartoszewski saying that security, also encompasses maritime security, and this too was among the various topics discussed with their Indian counterparts. Baranowski said Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Poland in 2024, and many of you may know that Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is planning a visit to the country towards the end of October. "And, we are here, conducting business-to-business conversations, government-to-government conversations, and.. meeting of the joint economic commission and in preparations for the visit as well," he said. The last meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation (JCEC) took place in 2022, and "it is high time to discuss the economic potential that we have," Baranowski told reporters. Speaking on the recently concluded India-EU Free Trade Agreement, he said Poland, which is part of the European Union, is taking advantage of the deal and sees great potential in it. Building on the consensus reached by the Prime Ministers of India and Poland during their talks held in Warsaw in August 2024, and recognising the momentum in bilateral cooperation created by the establishment of the Strategic Partnership, the two sides had agreed to execute a five-year Action Plan that will guide bilateral collaboration in the years 2024-2028 across several areas, including trade and investment, cyber security and climate, energy, mining and science and technology. Bartoszewski said discussions were held in Delhi during their visit on furthering bilateral ties, amid the current geopolitical situation. "One of the topics discussed here was security.. we want to cooperate more closely, cooperate with India, on cyber security... We have our experiences, we want to share," he said. He also underlined that Poland wants to cooperate in the defence sector, in areas of military platforms, as well as on "producing in India.. made in India". "We want to share some of our technologies with India... nice combination of made in India, and made in Poland," the Polish Secretary of State said. Bartoszewski said his country is investing "a substantial amount of money in our arms industry". "We are talking (about) what we have, what India has, and how we can cooperate with each other.. and how India can also create joint ventures to produce something together, so this is a completely new chapter," he later said, in response to a query on defence cooperation. Bartoszewski said cooperation in the space sector was also discussed in the conversations in Delhi. "Security also encompasses maritime security... In the current security situation, we firmly believe we have to stick to.. freedom of the seas. Sea routes should not be impeded... was a topic of conversation with India, and very many other topics," he added. On a query on how Poland sees India's role in ensuring lasting peace in the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict, Bartoszewski said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a very well-known world statesman, who is very respected, and India has a long-standing relationship with the Russian Federation and, before that, with the Soviet Union as a non-aligned nation." He said Russian President Vladimir Putin "actually pays attention to what Prime Minister Modi tells him", adding, "...the role Prime Minister Modi played in stopping Putin from using tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine at the end of 2022. But it's true, Prime Minister Modi is one of the few people who actually can exert some pressure and influence on President Putin, and that is clearly something India could do to stop this conflict." Baranowski emphasised the bilateral ties, at a time when the world has changed so much, "not only in India's region, not only in the Middle East, but also in Europe", and how globalisation has been structured. There are a number of sectors, where "we can grow and take advantage of the momentum", from high-tech, IT areas, to where India and Poland are "very strong", and to more traditional sectors that are important for both the economies, such as agriculture, processing industries, he said. "Both Indian and Polish economies are growing fast. Both sides, and the Indian side, are looking to diversify. We are looking for partners that are reliable partners, partners that are focused on rules, and that is why we are here, and the conversations here are so fruitful," he added. Also, the political side of the cooperation is "growing very well, and strategically, we fit very well together". Baranowski said Poland wants to ensure that there are "no weak points in our supply chains, that there are no dependencies in supply chains which can be weaponised". This is something "on top of the agenda". PTI KND SHS