India, Slovakia elevate ties to comprehensive partnership as PM Modi holds talks

INdia and slovak republic on mon elevated their dealings to a comprehensive partnership and concluded agreements on cooperation in defence, labour mobility, digital technologies, and cyber-security, as ground government minister Narendra Modi and his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico, held talks to further strengthen ties.Modi, the first Indian prime minister to travel to Slovakia since the country’s independence in 1993, said the elevation of the relationship reflects the shared trust and priorities of the two countries. He emphasised the potential for cooperation with Slovakia in fields such as automobiles, railways, space, advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence.Slovakia is the second leg of Modi’s nearly week-long visit to Europe and he is set to return to France to attend the outreach sessions of the G7 Summit in Evian and to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump, on June 16-17.“I express my special gratitude to the PM for Slovakia’s support in finalising the India-European Union (EU) free trade agreement. We will work towards its early implementation so that industries, startups and businesses in both countries can derive maximum benefit,” Modi said, speaking in Hindi at a joint media interaction with Fico.Modi also pointed to the potential to enhance cooperation between India and Slovakia in defence, space and civil nuclear energy. A letter of intent on cooperation in defence signed by the two sides will give new momentum to joint development, joint production, and collaboration between the defence industries of the two sides, he said.Noting that Slovakia’s first satellite was launched by India in 2017, Modi said civil nuclear energy is a priority area for both countries. “We emphasised the need to enhance cooperation between the industries and experts of both nations in this sector,” he said.The memorandum of understanding (MoU) on labour migration concluded by the two countries will enhance the mobility of professionals and skilled workers, and Modi said an MoU on social security will also be finalised soon.Fico said the two sides have a shared vision on three key issues – a sovereign foreign policy, compliance with international law, and the importance of multilateralism. Slovakia supports the reform of the United Nations and backs India’s inclusion in an expanded Security Council as a permanent member, he said.While welcoming the conclusion of negotiations between India and the EU on “one of the most ambitious FTAs”, Fico said Slovakia’s automobile sector will benefit from the trade deal. He also sought Indian investments, especially for public-private partnership (PPP) projects.Among the other agreements finalised by the two sides were an MoU on digital technologies focused on AI and digital public infrastructure, an MoU on quantum communication and critical infrastructure protection focused on cyber-security, an MoU on cooperation in higher education, and a pact between the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and Slovak Technical University for cooperation in scholarships and research collaboration.The two sides also agreed to establish a joint working group on counter-terrorism and a consular dialogue. According to a joint statement, Modi and Fico backed concerted global efforts to combat terrorism in a sustained manner and called for strong and decisive action against terrorist entities, and their proxies, sponsors and supporters. They also emphasised the importance of holding perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of terrorist acts accountable.