Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday wrapped up his historic visit to Poland — the first ever by a top Indian leader in 45 years after ex-PM Morarji Desai’s visit in 1979 — after holding meetings with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk, and President Andrzej Sebastian Duda, while also visiting prominent sites here that are reminiscent of the historic bonding between the two countries.

PM Modi described his visit to Poland as a special one, and called the central European nation India’s “valued friend”.

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“My Poland visit has been special. It is after decades that an Indian PM set foot on Polish soil. This visit gave an opportunity to deepen cooperation with a valued friend. We look forward to closer business and cultural connect with Poland. Our friendship can certainly contribute to a better planet. I thank the Polish people and Government for their warmth,” PM Modi wrote on X.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that PM Modi’s visit to Poland set a new milestone in the bilateral ties.

“PM Modi concludes a productive visit to Poland, setting a new milestone in bilateral relations. This high-level Prime Ministerial visit after four decades will widen and deepen India-Poland relations,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted on X.

Earlier on Thursday, addressing the media after holding talks with his Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the Federal Chancellery, PM Modi highlighted that it was a significant day for India-Poland relations as the last visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Poland took place in 1979.

Tusk, on the other hand, termed it as a “great privilege” to host PM Modi on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“This is a sufficient illustration of the significance of this visit and your presence today. This is undoubtedly proof of the increasingly good relations between our countries, of the significance for the entire region, I will not exaggerate if I say for the entire world between India and Poland,” said the Polish PM.

PM Modi also invited companies from Poland to join the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ initiative as both countries decided to transform the bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership during his landmark Warsaw visit.

PM Modi and Polish President Andrzej Sebastian Duda held discussions on deepening the India-Poland partnership across a wide range of sectors, including food processing, Artificial Intelligence, energy, and infrastructure during their meeting at the Belweder Palace here.

“They welcomed the upgradation of India-Poland ties to a Strategic Partnership. They also discussed regional and global issues including conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia. Prime Minister expressed sincere gratitude for Poland’s invaluable and timely assistance in evacuating Indian citizens from Ukraine during Operation Ganga,” the MEA stated after the meeting.

The EAM said that both nations have also agreed on a social security agreement, ensuring greater benefits for citizens.

“India greatly values the warm relations with Poland. We look forward to boosting commercial and cultural linkages between our nations in the times to come,” PM Modi posted on X after the meeting.

President Duda’s office said one of the key topics discussed between the two leaders was the ongoing war in Ukraine and its global consequences.

PM Modi also met Indologists in Warsaw following which he shared details of the meeting on X.

“Met Prof. Maria Christopher Byrski, Prof. Monika Browarczyk, Prof. Halina Marlewicz, Prof. Danuta Stasik and Prof. Przemyslaw Szurek in Warsaw. These eminent scholars and Indologists are working on different aspects of Indian history and culture. We talked about ways to make Indology more widespread. The distinguished academics also expressed joy on the increasing popularity of Yoga across Poland and Europe,” PM Modi wrote on X.

Interestingly, PM Modi’s Warsaw visit also threw light on the ‘sporting connect’ between India and Poland.

The Prime Minister, during his address, said: “We are connected through the game of kabaddi as well. This game reached Poland through India and they took it to great heights. Poland is going to host kabaddi championship for the first time. I want to wish good luck to their team.”

To take forward the sport’s connection between the two nations, PM Modi also met the captains of Poland’s men’s and women’s kabaddi teams and shared a photographs of the meeting on X.

“Celebrating a vibrant sporting connect. In Warsaw, I met Michal Spiczko and Anna Kalbarczyk, who are noted Kabaddi players. This sport is actively followed in Poland. We discussed how to further popularise this sport in Poland, including ensuring more tournaments between Indian and Polish players,” PM Modi wrote on X.

One of the most significant moments of PM Modi’s Warsaw trip was his visits to the Dobry Maharaja Memorial, Kolhapur Memorial, and the Monument of the Battle of Monte Cassino — sites that take one through the annals of the historical bond between India and Poland beyond any political and diplomatic elements.

While The Dobry Maharaja Memorial and Kolhapur Memorial were built as tributes to Jamsaheb of Nawanagar and the erstwhile princely state of Kolhapur, respectively, for providing shelter to Polish refugees during the Second World War, the Monument of the Battle of Monte Cassino commemorates the sacrifice and valour of soldiers from Poland, India and other countries who fought alongside each other in the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy during World War-II.