As part of the reform of the United Nations (UN), Slovakia will support India in its bid to become a new permanent member of the UN Security Council, President Peter Pellegrini told a news conference following his meeting with Indian President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday.
During Murmu's visit to the Presidential Palace, the Slovak and Indian sides signed two memorandums of understanding, one concerning cooperation in training and the exchange of diplomats, and the other on cooperation between small and medium-sized enterprises.
"We and India are great advocates of a multilaterally functioning world and support the functioning of international organisations. This is crucial for Slovakia," stated Pellegrini. Murmu added that they agreed to strengthen cooperation and coordination at the UN and other multilateral forums.
According to Pellegrini, India is an inspiration for Slovakia in many areas, and he mentioned modernisation and digitisation in this context. "We're interested in joint projects within the framework of modern technologies, research and development. Slovakia has something to offer here as well," he said, recalling how an Indian launch vehicle helped to put a Slovak satellite into orbit in 2017.
On Thursday (April 10), the presidents will jointly visit the Jaguar Land Rover plant in Nitra, which is the biggest Indian investment in Slovakia.
Also on Wednesday, Murmu met Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at the old building of the Government Office (UV). Fico extended an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Slovakia as well.
According to the Government Office, the Prime Minister and the President discussed the development of the automotive industry, including in the context of the tariffs imposed by the United States. They also spoke about the potential for cooperation in the defence industry and tourism. The Government Office added that economic relations between the countries are gradually developing and bilateral trade is growing.
House Chair Richard Raši (Hlas-SD) received the Indian President at the Slovak Parliament on Wednesday to reaffirm the historical ties and friendly relations between the two countries in the fields of economy, education, and culture.
Both Bratislava and New Delhi recognize the great potential for bilateral relations and believe that high-level dialogue could facilitate further growth in joint trade and investments. "Trade exchanges between Slovakia and India are growing. A prime example of successful economic cooperation is several Indian companies operating in Slovakia. We have a good history of developing infrastructure, industry, and technology," said the House chair.
The Indian president's visit is the first top-level bilateral one in more than 20 years and the first visit by an Indian head of state in almost 30 years. Former President Ivan Gasparovic went on the most-recent visit to India in 2004.
Source: TASR
