Warsaw: Poland wants to deepen defence, space and technology cooperation with India as Prime Minister Donald Tusk prepares for a visit to New Delhi, with Warsaw aiming to raise annual bilateral trade to $10 billion from around $6.5 billion.
An NDTV correspondent in Warsaw spoke to Polish officials and industry representatives ahead of the visit, which is expected from October 22 to 24. The dates have not yet been officially announced. If confirmed, it would be a Polish prime minister's first visit to India in 15 years.
The agenda is expected to cover defence manufacturing, research and development, space technology and business cooperation, as Poland looks to expand its economic engagement with one of the world's largest markets.
Former Polish Ambassador to India Adam Burakowski said boosting trade remained a key priority for Warsaw.
"Our goal is to make it a 10 billion USD trade exchange yearly," Burakowski said, putting current bilateral trade at around $6.5 billion.
Two business forums are planned in connection with the visit, one in New Delhi and another in Bengaluru. Polish companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises, are expected to engage with Indian businesses.
Defence And Research In Focus
Defence is emerging as a key area for closer cooperation. Burakowski said Polish companies had begun selling drones to the Indian Army, pointing to scope for expanding ties in military technology.
Research and development could also offer opportunities for collaboration. Poland wants to connect its Łukasiewicz Research Network, which brings together 23 scientific and research institutes, with Indian institutions such as the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
The proposed partnerships would build on the two countries' broader efforts to expand industrial and technological cooperation.
Poland's Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański is also part of the push to strengthen economic engagement, with Warsaw seeking to convert political ties into greater trade and investment.
Polish Space Firm ICEYE Seeks Deeper India Partnership
Space technology is another area where Poland sees significant potential, particularly in satellite-based surveillance and security.
Polish space company ICEYE is among the firms associated with the business delegation. The company has signed memorandums of understanding with Indian space companies Dhruva Aerospace and AgniKul Cosmos and hopes to announce further developments during the visit.
"Our aim as ICEYE is to provide India with national capabilities, sovereign control, and national capabilities for space surveillance," Witold Witkowicz, President of the Board of ICEYE, told NDTV.
ICEYE specialises in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, which can collect imagery through cloud cover and in darkness. Witkowicz said the company had launched more than 76 satellites and that its radar systems offered a resolution of 25 centimetres or better.
The company's first satellite was launched from India with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in 2018.
Witkowicz said ICEYE's principal customers included NATO and European Union countries, along with defence ministries and armed forces. The company now wants to help India develop greater domestic control over its space-based surveillance capabilities.
Growing Military Role Of Space
The expanding use of satellites for military and security purposes is likely to become a more prominent part of international defence planning, Witkowicz said.
"The militarisation activities in space are inevitable," he said, arguing that more countries would seek their own satellite fleets to meet different operational requirements.
He warned that the growing dependence on space-based systems would also bring new security threats and challenges.
"We need to prepare," Witkowicz said, adding that the implications of these developments would become more visible over the next few years.
Poland is also looking to deepen cooperation with ISRO. Burakowski described India's space programme as active and competitive, while pointing to plans by the European Space Agency to establish one of its facilities in Warsaw.
With defence, research, space and trade on the agenda, Tusk's expected visit could provide fresh momentum to a relationship Warsaw wants to expand beyond political engagement and into more substantial industrial and technological partnerships.