Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Slovakia has marked a historic milestone in bilateral relations, being the first by an Indian Prime Minister since Slovakia’s independence in 1993.

During the visit, Modi and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico agreed to deepen cooperation across defence, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection and connectivity, identifying these areas as strategic pillars of their growing partnership.

The Joint Statement issued on Monday reflected a shared vision for strengthening ties in sectors vital to both nations’ security and prosperity.

The two leaders emphasised the importance of defence and security cooperation, agreeing to encourage regular consultations and exchanges between their respective defence authorities.

They highlighted opportunities for collaboration in defence technologies, capacity building, research and development, and defence industrial cooperation. In this context, the signing of the Letter of Intent on Defence Cooperation was welcomed as a step that would foster mutually beneficial partnerships in the defence sector, giving new momentum to joint development and joint production.

Cybersecurity emerged as another critical area of cooperation. Modi and Fico agreed to strengthen collaboration in protecting critical information infrastructure and in preventing and countering cybercrime.

They underscored the importance of promoting an open, secure, accessible, stable, interoperable, resilient and peaceful digital space. Recognising emerging technological challenges, both leaders committed to supporting each other in safeguarding information technology systems against quantum threats to cryptography, including preparedness for post-quantum security transitions.

This cooperation will be facilitated by the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in the field of critical infrastructure protection and post-quantum cryptography.

Connectivity was also highlighted as a strategic pillar of bilateral ties. The leaders underscored the importance of promoting joint ventures, technology transfer, innovation and skills development in the automotive and railway sectors.

They noted that such collaboration would enhance competitiveness and generate new employment opportunities. Slovakia’s position as a Central European transport hub and India’s large-scale manufacturing capabilities were recognised as complementary strengths that could boost trade, investment and connectivity. Both sides encouraged exploring direct air connectivity between India and Slovakia to facilitate growing economic, business and people-to-people exchanges.

During his joint press statement with Prime Minister Fico in Bratislava, Modi described defence cooperation as a testament to deep mutual trust and strategic convergence.

He expressed satisfaction over the signing of the Letter of Intent, noting that it would provide new momentum to joint development and production in the defence sector. Fico, in his remarks, reiterated his interest in collaboration in the defence industry, signalling Slovakia’s readiness to expand cooperation in this domain.

The visit, set against the backdrop of Bratislava’s historic landmarks, underscored the elevation of India-Slovakia relations to a new level of strategic engagement. The agreements and commitments made during the talks reflect a shared determination to strengthen bilateral ties across defence, cybersecurity, infrastructure and connectivity, while also opening new avenues for trade and investment. 

Modi’s historic visit has thus laid the foundation for a comprehensive partnership that aligns mutual priorities and addresses emerging global challenges.

Agencies