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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Slovakia between June 14 and 16, the first-ever visit by any Indian PM to the landlocked country in Central Europe. India's Ambassador to Slovakia, Apoorva Srivastava, has described it as highly significant in the context of bilateral relations between the two countries.
Speaking with 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." Referring to recent meetings and visits between the leaders of the two countries, Ambassador Srivastava said, "We had the visit of the Indian President to Slovakia last year, and the President of Slovakia visited 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." On the objectives and expected outcomes of this visit, she said, "A discussion will definitely be held on our traditional, political and defence relationships. There is a possibility of discussion on avenues for new cooperation, like AI, quantum, clean technologies, automobile components, education and people-to-people partnership." In the context of strengthening India's relations across Europe, Slovakia can prove to be an effective partner for India. On this aspect, Apoorva Srivastava said, "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." "The EU and India FTA is very important to strengthen our economic relationship. 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 also 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," she added. Speaking about the cultural aspects between the two countries, the Ambassador said, "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." (ANI)
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