Indian PM Modi Begins ‘Historic’ Visits to Poland and Ukraine

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone for a visit to two countries, namely Poland and Ukraine. According to the ministry, Modi would be in Poland from August 21 to 22, after which he would be visiting Kyiv on August 23.

This visit by Modi to Poland follows a 45-year gap; the last Indian Prime Minister to have visited Poland is Morarji Desai in 1979.

Currently, according to news reports, India and Poland are celebrating 70 years of diplomatic relations. On the sidelines of this, during his trip, the Prime Minister would be holding talks with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Andrzej Duda, and also, he would be meeting with the Indian community.

Further down this visit, the Prime Minister of India to Warsaw would be granted a ceremony, and Narendra Modi would get to meet business tycoons and leading environmentalists.

The Prime Minister said he was looking forward to the opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations and discuss a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He stated that he would be undertaking an official visit to Poland and Ukraine, the latter at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Modi reiterated that this would be the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine. He said he looked forward to building upon discussions with President Zelenskyy on further deepening cooperation and exchanging views on the resolution of this conflict peacefully. Furthermore, Modi hoped for the early return of peace and stability in the region to this friend and partner.

The Ministry of External Affairs made a reference to the long-term nature of bilateral relations when they underlined that Poland has been helping with the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine since the inception of the conflict in 2022. In the 1940s, the princely states of Jamnagar and Kolhapur had provided refuge to over 6,000 Polish women and children.

There are about 25,000 Indians in Poland, of which about 5,000 are students," said Tanmaya Lal, the secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, on Monday. Polish administration and public, he pointed out, had provided 'invaluable assistance' during 'Operation Ganga' that took out over 4,000 Indian students from Ukraine last year.

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