Blanar: V4 Talks with India Lay Groundwork for Regular Cooperation

Bratislava/New York, 21 September (TASR-correspondent) - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) described Monday's meeting between foreign ministers of the Visegrad Four countries (V4: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar at the Permanent Mission of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations (UN) as a historic success for Slovak diplomacy, TASR has learnt from its special correspondent in New York. According to Blanar, Slovakia had been striving to establish this format for eleven years. "We agreed with our Indian partner that we'll meet regularly and assess our cooperation," said Blanar, adding that the partners want to draw up a schedule of specific activities, such as an annual business forum to be held alternately in V4 countries and India in order to bring together companies interested in mutual economic cooperation. Blanar also pointed to ongoing negotiations concerning the EU-India free trade agreement. When completed, it would represent a significant opportunity for the V4 countries and the EU as a whole, given India's growing economic importance, he stated. The talks also covered cooperation at multilateral level. Blanar said that the partners agreed on the need to reform the UN and the Security Council, adding that Slovakia supports India's efforts to become a permanent member of the Security Council. Currently, Slovakia and India are candidates for non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council for the 2028–2029 term, while Blanar stressed that both countries support each other's bids. The ministers also discussed energy security, with Blanar pointing to the impact of the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East on energy supplies, specifically mentioning problems with shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. He described cooperation with India as important, including in relation to its purchases of energy commodities from Russia. The Indian minister said the talks were productive, stating that India wishes to intensify cooperation with V4 countries in the fields of trade, technology and innovation. He added that the ministers also discussed cooperation in defence, space and human mobility. Asked by TASR whether the V4 format holds political significance for India in the global arena, Jaishankar stated that India has very good relations with the V4 countries and views them as states with significant and specific capabilities. "They are industrial economies with great potential in innovation and technology," said Jaishankar. According to him, India welcomes the opportunity to cooperate with the V4 as a bloc. jrg