India and Slovakia agreed to significantly deepen their bilateral relations during the first official visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Slovakia, with both sides describing the talks as a milestone in strengthening cooperation. Slovak President Peter Pellegrini said the visit confirms a new phase in relations based on trust and concrete projects, stating: “Slovakia and India have more than three decades of diplomatic relations behind them. Today, however, we are creating a more complex framework of our cooperation built on trust, predictability, and concrete projects.”
The president emphasized Slovakia’s industrial and technological strengths and the potential for cooperation in automotive production, nuclear energy, defense, space technologies, and artificial intelligence. He highlighted existing achievements, including India launching Slovakia’s first satellite in 2017, and stressed that economic relations are becoming the backbone of the partnership, noting that Slovakia aims to remain “a stable and safe European hub for Indian investment.”
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said the visit elevates relations to a strategic level, stating: “Today we agreed with the prime minister on elevating cooperation between Slovakia and India to cooperation that we can call strategic or by any other name.” He added that India’s rapid progress in digital technologies and artificial intelligence creates major opportunities for cooperation, urging Slovak institutions to actively use this potential.
A series of memoranda were signed covering defense cooperation, digital technologies, labor mobility, higher education, research, and audiovisual production. Modi said the agreements will create “new opportunities for cooperation in the field of digital public infrastructure,” and welcomed the establishment of an “Indian Chair” at a university in Košice. He added that the future of artificial intelligence must be based on “trust, responsibility, and human dignity.”
Defense and space cooperation were also central topics, with both sides describing defense ties as a sign of mutual trust and strategic convergence. Modi invited Slovak companies to join India’s rapidly expanding space program, noting its fast development and recalling that India launched Slovakia’s first satellite in 2017. Both leaders also discussed civil nuclear energy and rising trade volumes, which have grown significantly in recent years, while Slovakia expressed support for advancing an EU–India free trade agreement.
Both countries also aligned on major global issues, including the need for peaceful conflict resolution and reform of international institutions. Slovakia expressed support for India’s role as a global actor and backed reforms of the United Nations, while both sides agreed that global systems must be updated to reflect 21st-century realities. Modi summarized the shared approach by saying, “In this context, we will work together to strengthen global efforts.”
Source: TASR
