India and Slovakia have elevated their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first ever visit to the Central European nation…reports Asian Lite News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Monday announced the elevation of India-Slovakia relations to a Comprehensive Partnership, marking a significant milestone in bilateral ties during the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Slovakia.
Addressing a joint press conference after delegation-level talks in Bratislava, Prime Minister Modi described the development as a historic moment in relations between the two countries and praised Fico’s role in strengthening bilateral engagement.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Fico for the warm welcome. He is an experienced leader and also a true friend of India. His friendship and unwavering commitment have played a special role in taking India-Slovakia relations to new heights,” Modi said.
“This visit marks the first ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Slovakia. On this historic occasion, we have decided to elevate our relationship to the level of a Comprehensive Partnership. This reflects our shared trust, shared priorities and our shared vision for the future,” he added.
The two leaders held extensive discussions on expanding cooperation in key sectors and agreed to provide fresh momentum to economic and strategic engagement.
Modi noted that bilateral trade and economic cooperation had made steady progress but stressed that both countries possessed far greater potential for collaboration.
He identified automobiles, railways, advanced manufacturing and green technologies as priority areas for future cooperation and said several important decisions had been taken to combine the strengths of both nations for mutual benefit.
The Prime Minister also thanked Slovakia for supporting efforts to conclude the long-awaited India-European Union Free Trade Agreement.
“I extend my special gratitude to the Prime Minister for Slovakia’s support in finalising the India-EU Free Trade Agreement. We will work towards its early implementation so that industries, startups and traders in both countries can get maximum benefit from it,” Modi said.
Technology emerged as a central theme of the discussions, with both countries signing a Memorandum of Understanding on digital technology aimed at strengthening cooperation in digital public infrastructure.
Describing technology as a key pillar of future ties, Modi said the agreement would create new opportunities for collaboration in emerging digital sectors.
He also welcomed the establishment of an India Chair on Artificial Intelligence at a Slovak university, describing it as a step towards promoting responsible and human-centric AI development.
“AI becomes a powerful medium for serving and advancing humanity — this is our shared vision. We believe that the future of AI should be based not only on innovation, but also on trust, responsibility and human dignity,” he said.
The two leaders also discussed expanding cooperation in the space sector. Modi recalled that Slovakia’s first satellite was launched by India in 2017 and highlighted India’s rapid advances in space technology.
“There is enormous potential for expanding cooperation between us in the field of space. Today, the space sector in India is reaching new heights at an unprecedented pace. I invite Slovakian companies to join this development journey,” he said.
The elevation of ties to a Comprehensive Partnership is expected to provide a broader framework for cooperation across trade, technology, innovation, education and strategic sectors, further strengthening India’s engagement with Central Europe.
