&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "PM Modi to make historic first visit to Slovakia; announcements on defence, mobility expected")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to become the first Indian leader to visit Slovakia since the country's independence in 1993, in a trip expected to deepen ties between the two nations and signal India's growing engagement with Central Europe.
The visit comes amid steadily warming relations. Diplomatic links were established in 1993 following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia, with India opening its embassy in Bratislava in 1995. Slovakia maintains a resident mission in New Delhi and honorary consulates in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata.
Recent high-level contacts have accelerated momentum. Indian President Droupadi Murmu visited Slovakia in April 2025, only the second presidential trip after a 29-year gap , while Slovak President Peter Pellegrini attended an AI summit in India earlier this year and met both President Murmu and Prime Minister Modi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made the first visit by an Indian foreign minister to Slovakia in 2022.
Bilateral trade has surged, reaching a record $1.8 billion in 2025, driven largely by Indian exports. Major Indian firms including Tata Motors' Jaguar Land Rover, Tata Consultancy Services and the Motherson Group have established manufacturing operations in Slovakia. Slovak companies are also active in India, particularly in engineering and freight wagons.
Defence cooperation, underpinned by a 1995 agreement, is another area of potential growth, with Indian firms exploring joint production in artillery and armoured systems. An MoU on nuclear regulatory cooperation was signed in 2023, while discussions continue on digital technologies and cyber security. Space ties date back to 2017, when Slovakia's first satellite was launched on an Indian rocket.
Cultural and people-to-people links are also expanding. An Indian cultural agreement runs until 2026, and the Indian community in Slovakia has grown to around 11,000. Slovakia supported India's evacuation of students from Ukraine in 2022 and has backed New Delhi's bid for a permanent UN Security Council seat.
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Both sides welcomed the recent India-EU Free Trade Agreement. President Pellegrini responded to Mr Modi's comments on the deal by stressing its importance for economic resilience and diversified supply chains.
The visi, the first by an Indian prime minister, is symbolic & carries substance of a growing ties. Expected outcomes include new agreements on defence, digital cooperation and skilled mobility, helping position Slovakia as a bridge for Indian interests in the European Union.
For Slovakia, the trip offers an opportunity to strengthen economic links with one of the world's fastest-growing major economies. For India, it forms part of a broader strategy of engaging EU partners amid efforts to diversify partnerships beyond traditional Western European powers.
