For decades, India’s policy was to maintain an equal distance from all countries, but the policy of today’s India is to maintain closeness with all countries, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Warsaw where he landed as part of his three-day visit to Central Europe, in an apparent reference to India’s closeness with both Russia and the West, even as Russia and Ukraine remain engaged in a war for over two years. He was addressing the Indian Diaspora at an event organised by the Indian community in Warsaw on Wednesday evening. In his address, Modi noted that a visit to Poland by an Indian Prime Minister was happening after 45 years and he was looking forward to meeting President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk during his visit, to strengthen India-Poland ties. He said that India is the Mother of Democracy and its shared values with Poland bring the two countries closer. Modi also spoke about the contribution made by the Indian Diaspora in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, and commended their role in the success of Operation Ganga, wherein thousands of Indian medical students stranded in Ukraine in the wake of the war were evacuated. He called upon the community to become a brand ambassador of tourism to India and be part of its growth story. He noted that the Dobry Maharaja, Kolhapur, and Battle of Monte Cassino memorials were shining examples of vibrant people-to-people ties between the two countries. To further strengthen this special bond, the Prime Minister announced a new initiative called Jamsaheb Memorial Youth Exchange Programme under which 20 Polish youth would be invited to India each year. He also recalled the help provided by Poland during the earthquake in Gujarat. The Prime Minister spoke about the transformative progress achieved by India in the last 10 years. He expressed confidence that India will become the third largest economy in the next few years. He also spoke about his vision for the country to become a developed nation — Viksit Bharat — by 2047. He stated that Poland and India were enhancing their partnership in areas of new technology and clean energy and driving green growth. Ahead of his departure for the three-day visit to Poland and Ukraine on Wednesday morning, the PM said, “My visit to Poland comes as we mark 70 years of our diplomatic relations. Poland is a key economic partner in Central Europe. Our mutual commitment to democracy and pluralism further reinforces our relationship.” “From Poland, I will be visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Ukraine,” the departure statement said. Upon landing in Warsaw, Modi visited The Dobry Maharaja Memorial in Warsaw, located at the Square of the ‘Good Maharaja’, as a remembrance to the respect and gratitude Poland has for the Jam Saheb of Nawanagar Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, [of modern day Jamnagar in Gujarat], who provided shelter to over a thousand Polish children during World War II. Modi also paid tribute at the Kolhapur Memorial in Warsaw, dedicated to the generosity of the princely state of Kolhapur offered to the Polish people during the second World War. Before addressing the community event, he paid tribute at the Monument to the Battle of Monte Cassino, which commemorates the sacrifice of soldiers from Poland, India and other countries who fought alongside each other in the famous Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy during World War II.
