Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is undertaking an official visit to India from 17 to 19 January 2026, as announced by India's Ministry of External Affairs.

Sikorski will arrive in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on 17 January, followed by participation in the Jaipur Literature Festival on 18 January, before proceeding to New Delhi later that day.

On 19 January, he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in the capital, after which he will depart from Delhi.

This visit marks Sikorski's first trip to India since 2011 and the first by a Polish foreign minister following the elevation of India-Poland ties to a Strategic Partnership in 2024.

The landmark upgrade occurred during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Poland on 21-22 August 2024, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 45 years, yielding a Joint Statement and an Action Plan for 2024-2028.

India and Poland established diplomatic relations in 1954, with the Indian Embassy opening in Warsaw in 1957, grounded in shared opposition to colonialism, imperialism, and racism.

Bilateral engagement has since flourished through high-level political exchanges and robust economic cooperation, spanning defence, security, trade, science, technology, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.

Recent Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi last month reaffirmed commitments to expedite collaboration in these domains, co-chaired by MEA's Secretary (West) Sibi George and Poland's Secretary of State Wladyslaw T Bartoszewski.

Sikorski's wife, Anne Applebaum, accompanies him, adding a cultural dimension highlighted by the Jaipur Literature Festival appearance.

The timing aligns with intensified India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations, as the EU remains India's largest trading partner with goods trade reaching $136.53 billion in 2024-25.

The prospective FTA encompasses market access for goods, rules of origin, services, investment, and intellectual property rights, with European Council President Antonio Costa and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen set to attend the 16th EU-India Summit on 27 January.

Sikorski has emphasised boosting security, defence, and industrial ties during the visit, while addressing India's longstanding military equipment ties with Russia amid the Ukraine conflict.

Poland's rapid economic growth—averaging 3.5 per cent over two years and projected at 3.8 per cent next—positions it as a key EU partner for India, particularly in digital innovation, AI governance, fintech, and cybersecurity ahead of India's AI Impact Summit in February.

Earlier discussions between External Affairs Minister Jaishankar and Sikorski covered the Ukraine situation and Indo-Pacific dynamics, underscoring the Strategic Partnership's momentum.

This visit reinforces Poland's role in the India-Weimar Triangle format, involving France and Germany, which recently addressed EU-India relations, Indo-Pacific stability, and Ukraine.

Sikorski's forthright stances, including past calls for a NATO no-fly zone over Ukraine and critiques of Starlink dependencies, highlight Poland's proactive European security posture.

The itinerary signals deepening multifaceted ties, leveraging cultural exchanges like the literature festival alongside high-stakes diplomatic and economic dialogues.

​Based On ANI Report