New York: In a significant expansion of its diplomatic footprint in Central Europe, India held its first-ever high-level meeting with the Visegrad Group (V4) on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar hailed the gathering as a “new historic occasion” as the four member nations—Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—agreed to step up political, economic, and defence cooperation.
The meeting marked a new ministerial-level approach to India’s engagement with the V4 countries. During the talks, Jaishankar met with Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radek Sikorski, Hungary’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Anita Orban, Slovakia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanar, and Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka.
Addressing the media, Jaishankar outlined the future trajectory of the partnership. “It was a very, very productive meeting. What we agreed was that since India’s relationship with the European Union itself is deepening, with the V4 we would take some special initiatives to create an annual business forum,” he stated. He added that there was a consensus for the foreign ministers to meet annually to pursue regular political and economic engagement.
The talks also covered collaboration in areas such as technology, innovation, space, connectivity, and people-to-people relations. Jaishankar emphasised the historical defence ties between India and the V4 nations, noting, “We want to refresh and take forward that record and that cooperation”.
Crucially, the meeting provided a major boost to India’s long-standing demand for reform of the global body. The four Central European nations collectively voiced their support for India’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Echoing this sentiment, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar remarked, “We all agree as V4 countries that India, as a part of the Global South, an upcoming superpower in the Indo-Pacific region, must be at the table as a permanent member of the UN Security Council”.
The leaders also discussed pressing global crises, including the ongoing Ukraine conflict and developments in the Gulf. The robust engagement underscores New Delhi’s strategy to strengthen alliances beyond traditional Western European powers, recognising the growing economic and technological capabilities of the Visegrad Group.