Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s official India visit, scheduled for 21-23 October 2026, brought a high-level delegation and about 100 business leaders and industry representatives. The visit took place at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation and provided the setting for a joint statement on the countries’ strategic partnership.
Modi and Tusk reviewed bilateral cooperation and discussed regional and international developments. The statement sets out areas where the governments intend to deepen cooperation, alongside proposed mechanisms and agreements that are still being negotiated or prepared.
The leaders recalled Modi’s August 2024 visit to Poland, which established the Strategic Partnership and the 2024-2028 Action Plan. They endorsed its mid-term review by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw in September 2026.
They described the visit as an opportunity to convert the partnership into practical outcomes with clear timelines and mutual benefits. The emphasis was on implementation of agreed priorities through continuing government and institutional engagement.
Political cooperation is to include more frequent senior-level exchanges and structured dialogue. The leaders also encouraged contacts among Parliaments, state and regional administrations, policy institutions and think tanks, broadening the partnership beyond central-government meetings.
The statement recalled the India–EU Summit of 27 January 2026 and the joint comprehensive strategic agenda towards 2030. It welcomed the concluded India–EU free-trade negotiations and the mobility framework, while calling for early signing, ratification and implementation of the trade agreement. Those steps were linked to investment, new markets and more diverse critical supply chains.
Economic Cooperation, Trade and Investment
Modi congratulated Poland on reaching a GDP above US$1 trillion. Poland recognised India’s growth and its trajectory towards a US$10 trillion economy. The leaders presented their respective strengths as complementary and saw opportunities for businesses to participate in both economies’ expansion.
A target was set to double bilateral trade by 2030. Modi invited Polish enterprises to expand in India, citing its market, skills and manufacturing ecosystem. Tusk welcomed Indian investment and presented Poland as a base for access to Central and Eastern Europe and the wider European market.
The bilateral agriculture working group is to resume its activities. The leaders see this mechanism as a way to develop agricultural cooperation and trade through a dedicated sectoral channel rather than leave the opportunity solely to broader economic discussions.
The business forum held during the visit brought company leaders together. The statement encouraged partnerships in machinery, defence, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, mining, critical minerals, energy and information technology. These are areas identified for exploration and business engagement, rather than a list of projects already completed.
Resilient supply chains, smaller enterprises and innovation were recurring themes. The leaders supported cooperation in digital transformation and public-service technology, and agreed to collaborative research in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technologies. They also encouraged startup links and closer relationships among businesses, research institutions and innovation communities.
Defence cooperation is to continue through regular exchanges between the two establishments. The leaders welcomed the results of the 8th Joint Working Group on Defence meeting held in Warsaw in September 2026. That existing mechanism provides an institutional basis for advancing the security partnership.
They proposed a Defence Industry Dialogue to identify viable industrial opportunities. Possible cooperation includes business links, technology partnerships and, where both sides agree, co-development and co-production. The statement presents the dialogue as a proposal for future work and retains mutual agreement as a condition for specific industrial arrangements.
The leaders welcomed the India–EU Security and Defence Partnership signed in January 2026. They connected bilateral work on cybersecurity, emerging technologies and defence innovation with that wider framework, highlighting technological resilience and opportunities for engagement through business and other platforms.
Both governments expressed the importance of a pact on protecting and exchanging classified information. They expected it to be signed soon. The statement therefore distinguishes the anticipated agreement from a document already signed during the visit.
Space cooperation was identified as an important part of the strategic relationship. The leaders encouraged government institutions and industry to engage more closely and identify specific projects of mutual interest. The emphasis is on developing concrete opportunities through continued contacts.
Semiconductors were separately highlighted as a promising area for closer collaboration. This priority complements the broader research and technology agenda, with the statement identifying an opportunity rather than announcing a completed manufacturing investment.
The leaders saw scope for circular-economy partnerships, especially battery recycling and rare-earth refining. Such cooperation was placed within efforts to recover useful materials and develop industrial opportunities connected to resource reuse.
Geology, mining and critical minerals were also identified for deeper engagement. A memorandum of understanding remained under negotiation. Its status should be read as an ongoing negotiation, alongside the governments’ stated interest in the sector.
Civil aviation authorities were encouraged to discuss opportunities for more direct India–Poland flights. The statement welcomes exploration and direct talks; it does not establish a new operating route or give an airline launch schedule.
Shipping-industry cooperation and maritime security were named as further areas of mutual interest. These priorities link commercial maritime activity with the broader security and connectivity objectives of the partnership.
Port cooperation was discussed in terms of resilient supply chains, shorter transit times and protection of critical infrastructure from geopolitical disruption. The leaders also highlighted improved connectivity, including the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor initiative, as part of this wider network.
The Prime Ministers agreed to develop scientific collaboration in polar affairs. This adds a specialised research area to the bilateral agenda and complements the institutional, academic and technology relationships described elsewhere in the statement.
Education, Research and Academic Exchanges
The leaders recognised Poland’s scholarship in Indology and Sanskrit, including the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies at Jagiellonian University in Kraków. They also acknowledged Polish-language teaching in India and existing university links. They encouraged institutions to deepen partnerships, expand student and faculty exchanges and pursue collaborative research.
People-to-people ties were described as a foundation of the partnership. Cooperation in culture, sport, youth exchange and tourism is to be encouraged. A culture, science and higher-education agreement was expected soon, while an archives cooperation agreement had been concluded and was awaiting signature. These stages were presented separately.
The statement recalled India’s wartime support for Polish women and children and the memorials in Warsaw to Maharaja Jamsaheb and Kolhapur. The leaders welcomed the Jam Saheb Memorial Youth Exchange Programme and its recent edition in October 2026, connecting historical links with present-day exchanges.
They also recognised Polish assistance to more than 2,000 Indian students leaving Ukraine under Operation Ganga. That cooperation was recalled as a practical example of support between the countries during a crisis.
Multilateral Priorities and International Issues
Both sides supported multilateralism centred on the UN Charter and called for Security Council reform in permanent and non-permanent membership. Poland backed India’s place in an expanded and more inclusive council, and reiterated support for India’s non-permanent candidature for 2028-29.
The leaders identified the G20 as an important cooperation forum. They expressed readiness to work together in G20 tracks and workstreams in which Poland participates or receives an invitation. The wording relates to participation in those processes, rather than a change in group membership.
On Ukraine, they expressed concern about the war and its humanitarian consequences. They called for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace consistent with international law and the UN Charter, including sovereignty and territorial integrity. Food and energy insecurity, particularly affecting the Global South, were also noted.
They condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, and said there could be no justification for it. The Pahalgam attack of 22 April 2025 was condemned. They called for action against terrorist groups, including those listed by the UNSC 1267 committee, disruption of financing and safe havens, early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism, and a bilateral counter-terrorism dialogue.
The statement supported a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific, respect for international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Freedom of navigation and peaceful dispute settlement were emphasised. India invited Poland to join the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative.
The leaders welcomed the first meeting between India’s foreign minister and the Visegrad Group, or V4, comprising Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. They sought to strengthen the V4–India format around shared interests and complementary strengths.
Climate cooperation covered the UN climate process, Paris Agreement, extreme weather, environmental damage and biodiversity loss. The leaders supported domestic clean-energy growth and sustainable technologies. India welcomed Poland’s announcement that it would join the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and invited it to the International Solar Alliance and Global Biofuels Alliance.
Tusk thanked Modi for the hospitality shown to his delegation. Both leaders committed to broadening the partnership and following through on the 2024-2028 Action Plan through senior-level contact and stronger institutional cooperation. Implementation, rather than the statement alone, is the continuing task set out by the governments.
Tusk also invited Modi to visit Poland, providing an opportunity for a future senior-level exchange. The statement records the invitation without announcing an agreed visit date.