Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Slovakia from June 14 to 16, marking the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister to this Central European nation since its independence in 1993. India's Ambassador to Slovakia, Apoorva Srivastava, has described the visit as highly significant for bilateral relations.
Historic Visit
Speaking to ANI, Srivastava said, "This is the first time an Indian prime minister is going to visit Slovakia since its independence in 1993. Therefore, this is extremely important as well as very special and historic. I am confident that it will take our relation to a new level. India and Slovakia share a very good relationship based on common democratic values."
She highlighted recent high-level exchanges, including the Indian President's visit to Slovakia last year and the Slovak President's visit to India earlier this year for the AI Summit. "Now, Prime Minister Modi is visiting. Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia and Prime Minister Modi will meet for the first time. We hope they will share the same personal chemistry that PM Modi has with other leaders, so that our relationship can move forward," she added.
Expected Outcomes
On the objectives of the visit, Srivastava said discussions will cover traditional political and defence relationships, as well as new areas of cooperation such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, clean technologies, automobile components, education, and people-to-people partnerships.
She emphasized Slovakia's strategic importance for India in Central Europe and the European Union. "Slovakia is extremely important for India in Central Europe and the European Union. Apart from its strategic location, it can serve as a gateway for Indian companies to Europe," she said.
Economic and Cultural Ties
The EU-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is crucial for strengthening economic relations. "This will open new areas of cooperation and strengthen our traditional areas of business, like export and import. Slovakia is a hub of automobiles and auto components. Tata Jaguar Land Rover has a big investment here. Many cars are exported from here to India. There are many Slovak companies operating from India as well. So there is a huge scope that our economic relationships will strengthen," Srivastava explained.
On cultural ties, she noted that Indian culture is extremely popular in Slovakia. "Yoga is practised by thousands of people here, and yoga studios are very common. Ayurveda is also popular in Slovakia. Many Slovak people travel to India for Ayurvedic treatment, especially in Kerala. There have also been translations of Indian works into Slovak. Indian culture and Indian films are gaining popularity here, and people are becoming more aware of India. We also host many Indian troupes who perform in Slovakia, and similarly, Slovak artists also travel to India for performances," she said.
