India-Slovakia ties set for upgrade; defense, digital tech and EU FTA take center stage

Bratislava: India’s Ambassador to Slovakia, Apoorva Srivastava, held a meeting with Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Juraj Blanar, on Wednesday and expressed India’s commitment to further advance the bilateral partnership.

“Ambassador Apoorva Srivastava paid a farewell call on H.E. Juraj Blanar, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. She conveyed her heartfelt appreciation for his cooperation and support during her tenure as the Ambassador of India to the Slovak Republic,” the Indian Embassy in Slovakia posted on X.

“Underscoring India’s commitment to further advancing the friendly partnership between India and Slovakia, she expressed confidence that the bilateral relationship will continue to expand and deepen across multiple fronts in the times ahead,” it added.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a two-day State visit to Slovakia. During his visit, PM Modi met his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, and President Peter Pellegrini, discussing diverse subjects with them during their talks, including those held at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava.

“Today’s talks with President Pellegrini covered diverse subjects such as closer ties in manufacturing, transport, innovation and investment linkages, energy, biofuels and more. There is also immense scope to cooperate in the field of digital technology. We also talked about deepening people-to-people linkages,” PM Modi posted on X after the meeting.

PM Modi and President Pellegrini also witnessed an exhibition centred on Varanasi, including works by Slovak artists who had recently visited the city, at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava.

Slovakia also conferred its highest honour, the Order of the White Double Cross (1st Class), on PM Modi.

In their meeting, PM Modi and Fico explored new avenues of cooperation in several sectors. The two leaders also exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues.

“PM Narendra Modi and PM Robert Fico reviewed the entire range of bilateral relations and explored new avenues of cooperation in trade and investment, defence and security, technology and innovation, space and nuclear energy, education and culture, and talent mobility and people-to-people exchanges. They also exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues, including reform of the United Nations,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.

“The leaders noted that the implementation of the historic India-EU FTA will unlock substantial opportunities in trade, manufacturing, investment and employment generation, particularly for the youth,” he added.

Both leaders agreed to elevate India-Slovakia ties to a Comprehensive Partnership.

“The meeting resulted in several outcomes, including in the areas of digital technology, defence, cybersecurity, post-quantum technologies, audio-visual creation, mobility, and scientific cooperation, including nuclear,” the MEA noted.

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