Poland can collaborate with India in sports in big way: Polish lawmaker Malgorzata Niemczyk ahead of PM Modi’s visit

Lodz [Poland], August 21 (ANI): Member of Sejm of the Republic of Poland, Malgorzata Niemczyk, stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Warsaw is of “extreme importance” to Poland.

She highlighted that India and Poland could collaborate significantly in the field of sports.

In an interview with ANI, Malgorzata Niemczyk said, “Prime Minister Modi’s visit is of extreme importance to us. We see India as a nation that has offered so much to the world, from yoga to many other cultural contributions. My city is 600 years old, but India has a history spanning 6,000 years. What India can offer is truly extraordinary. The demographic advantage of a youthful population in India is also something that Poland can learn from. We see great potential for collaboration, particularly in sports.”

Polish Senator Krzysztof Kwiatkowski emphasised Poland’s role as an important partner for India and expressed his satisfaction that a “powerful PM” is visiting Poland. He noted that trade and commerce could be key focus areas during PM Modi’s upcoming visit.

On PM Modi’s upcoming visit to Poland, Krzysztof Kwiatkowski said, “One of the important factors of Prime Minister Modi’s visit is, Poland is an important partner for India. And definitely we foresee that, you know, the largest democracy of the world and such a powerful prime minister visiting the country wants to build that relationship between two countries and India fundamentally has got great aspects…Trade and commerce could be one of the milestones of the visit, which could get us to a different path.”

PM Modi will be visiting Poland on August 21-22 at the invitation of his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk. MEA Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal called this a “landmark visit” as it is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Poland after 45 years.

While addressing a special briefing on Monday, Tanmaya Lal said, “PM Narendra Modi will be undertaking an official visit to Poland this week on 21st and 22nd August on the invitation of PM Donald Tusk. This is a landmark visit as the PM of Indian is visiting Poland after 45 years. This visit takes place as we also mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations.”

“This historic visit in a landmark year for India and Polish relations will provide an opportunity to our leaders to review the bilateral relationship and offer guidance on enhancing this relationship in diverse areas and also discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest,” he added.

He recalled the age-old ties between India and Poland, highlighting how Poland assisted India in evacuating its students from Ukraine after conflict broke out in 2022. He also spoke about the episode from the 1940s, when over 6000 Polish women and children were given refuge in princely states: Jamnagar and Kolhapur.

“Indian community in Poland estimated at around 25,000. This includes around 5,000 students. The government and people of Poland had offered valuable assistance during ‘Operation Ganga’ for the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine. More than 4,000 Indian students were evacuated via Poland in 2022. One of the unique bonds between our countries relates to the time in the 1940s during World War 2 when more than 6,000 Polish women and children found refuge in two princely states in India – Jamnagar and Kolhapur,” Tanmaya Lal said.

The MEA Secretary stated that PM Modi, during his visit, will hold meetings with his Polish counterpart, President and will also interact with the Indian community there. He will also be accorded a ceremonial welcome at Warsaw. After concluding his visit to Poland, PM Modi will travel to Ukraine.

India and Poland share long-standing friendly relations, marked by high-level political contacts and vibrant economic engagement. The bilateral relations are wide-ranging and mutually beneficial. Poland is India’s key economic partner in Central Europe.

The two nations established diplomatic relations in 1954, leading to the opening of the Indian Embassy in Warsaw in 1957 and the Polish Embassy in New Delhi in 1954. This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Poland.