Blanar: Slovakia and India Seek Deeper Ties as Envoy Ends Mission

Bratislava, 8 July (TASR) - Slovakia and India aim to build on the dynamic development of their bilateral relations by further strengthening their partnership in both political and economic areas, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said after meeting Indian Ambassador to Slovakia Apoorva Srivastava on Tuesday (7 July) at the conclusion of her diplomatic mission in Bratislava. According to the ministry's press department, Blanar said Slovakia and India now enjoy a comprehensive partnership that provides broad scope for expanding cooperation. "Slovakia and India are united by a shared commitment to promoting multilateralism, respecting international law and seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts," Blanar declared. The minister praised the ambassador's personal contribution to the development of Slovak-Indian relations and commended the results achieved during her tenure since 2023. He highlighted the intensification of high-level political dialogue, as well as support for cultural, academic and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Blanar also recalled several high-level political visits during Srivastava's posting, describing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first official visit to Bratislava in June this year as a historic milestone. Both sides welcomed the strong growth in economic ties during their bilateral talks. Bilateral trade more than doubled during the ambassador's tenure, reaching €1.6 billion in 2025. Slovakia and India are also expanding cooperation in investment, nuclear energy, innovation, digital technologies and the defence industry. The partnership is expected to be further strengthened through a series of signed agreements and memoranda, as well as planned accords covering defence, audiovisual cooperation and the protection of classified information. Blanar also presented the Indian ambassador with a diplomatic note formally confirming Slovakia's support for India's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2028-2029 term. "Slovakia supports India's ambition to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and we are interested in further developing cooperation with India in the V4+ format during our presidency of the Visegrad Group (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia)," Blanar added. mf