Modi likely to visit Poland, Ukraine on August 21-23; first Indian PM to visit Warsaw in over 4 decades

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to visit Poland and Ukraine between August 21 and 23 with a message of dialogue and diplomacy amid intensification of Russia-Ukraine conflict.

It comes just over a month after Modi visited Russia and Austria.

This will be an Indian PM's first visit to Warsaw in over four decades despite Poland being India's largest trading and investment partner in central and eastern Europe. From Warsaw, Modi is expected to go to Kyiv on a half-day visit, ET has learnt.


India's deputy national security advisor Pawan Kapoor was recently in Kyiv to discuss various contours of the proposed visit.

In his visit to Warsaw, Modi is expected to focus on technology collaboration, ET has learnt.

Polish capabilities and advanced technologies in the food processing industry is well recognised. The two countries have set up a joint working group on food processing. Polish food processing companies and entrepreneurs could participate in mega food parks being set up in India, government insiders said.

Poland also possesses reputed clean coal technologies and Polish public sector companies have played a substantial role in development of mining and power sectors in India. Trainee engineers from Coal India have received training in Polish mines that specialise in intelligent mining. India and Poland had in 2019 signed an agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation in the coal and mining sector.

Indian investment in Poland has been steadily growing over the years and is now estimated to be over $3 billion. Indian companies are partners in the development of Poland and have created a substantial number of jobs there, especially Indian IT companies which have invested in Poland and are estimated to employ nearly 10,000 Polish nationals, according to a MEA statement.

There is a strong tradition of Indology studies in Poland, with Polish scholars having translated Sanskrit works into Polish as early as in the 19th Century. Sanskrit was being taught at the 600-year-old Jagiellonian University in Krakow (the oldest in Poland) from 1860-61 and a chair of Sanskrit was established there in 1893. The Indology department of the Oriental Institute at the University of Warsaw (established in 1932) is the biggest centre for Indian studies in central Europe.