India and Poland on Monday discussed ways to expand defence and defence industrial cooperation as senior officials from the two countries met in New Delhi under the bilateral Joint Working Group mechanism.
Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and Poland’s Secretary of State and Deputy Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka co-chaired the meeting, which focused on operationalising the Joint Action Plan for 2024-2028 and strengthening institutional cooperation between the two countries.
Action plan in focus
The discussions centred on implementing the four-year action plan drawn up after India and Poland elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in August 2024. Defence and security cooperation forms an important component of the framework.
Under the plan, the two countries had agreed to encourage regular consultations between relevant institutions, promote contacts between their defence industries and explore cooperation in the modernisation of military equipment.
Defence industry ties
The two sides discussed further strengthening defence industrial cooperation, an area that has received increased attention in recent bilateral engagements. The Joint Working Group provides an institutional mechanism for identifying opportunities and taking forward defence cooperation between India and Poland.
The meeting came a month after senior Polish officials visited New Delhi and held discussions with India’s Department of Defence Production on opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation. Those engagements also included interactions with representatives of India’s defence industry.
Strategic Partnership
India and Poland established a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Warsaw in August 2024. The two countries had then agreed to make greater use of existing bilateral mechanisms, including the Joint Working Group for Defence Cooperation, to deepen their defence relationship.
The accompanying Action Plan for 2024-2028 covers political dialogue and security, trade and investment, climate and technology, transport, counter-terrorism and other areas. In defence, it envisages closer interaction between industries and consultations on security cooperation.
Recent engagements
Defence cooperation has figured prominently in recent India-Poland engagements. Polish Deputy Ministers Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski and Konrad Golota visited New Delhi in August and held talks with Indian officials on opportunities for expanding cooperation, including between defence industries.
Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski in Warsaw, where the two sides discussed implementing the Strategic Partnership. Poland identified defence industries and new technologies, including space, among areas with potential for greater cooperation.