Poland Secretary of State Wadysaw Teofil Bartoszewski
In anticipation of the momentous 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between India and Poland, Secretary of State Władysław Teofil Bartoszewski has articulated Poland's commitment to fostering deeper bonds with India across various areas. In an interview with NDTV, Mr Bartoszewski delved into significant aspects of the relationship between the two nations.
Addressing the question about the biggest achievements in the 70 years of diplomatic relations, Mr Bartoszewski said, "I think the biggest achievement is that both countries transformed themselves from being quite traditional, quite agricultural, and in some respects economically challenged."
He praised India's evolution into a global superpower, emphasising the country's impressive economic progress. Similarly, he acknowledged Poland's rise as the 22nd largest economy globally, shedding the shackles of communism.
Mr Bartoszewski detailed potential areas of cooperation between India and Poland, stating, "We are going to try to cooperate in various spheres in modern technologies, which we are very fond of because we started as a disadvantage and underdeveloped."
He highlighted success in digitising health services, green energy solutions, and ongoing discussions on a new memorandum for cybersecurity cooperation.
Regarding bilateral trade, he noted, "The bilateral trade is just now under six billion dollars a year” and emphasised the need for cultural understanding to enhance business ties. He suggested, "We have to bring the countries more culturally... more high-ranking visits because that helps to raise interests of business politicians of both countries."
Discussing the Indian diaspora in Poland, Mr Bartoszewski shared, "We have a long tradition of being interested in India," highlighting the presence of Sanskrit studies in Polish universities. “We have got specialists in Indian language culture or one of the Sanskrit culture history and so on and India has seen very favourably the people that blend in, I mean, we have got plenty for instance of Indian restaurants which are becoming popular.” Encouraging Indians to set up businesses in Poland, he praised the positive contributions of the Indian community in various sectors.
In response to a question about the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Mr Bartoszewski stated, "This war can end tomorrow if President Putin removes his forces from the sovereign independent state, which is Ukraine."
He added, “Ukraine was acknowledged as a sovereign independent state in 1991 by all United Nations. If Mr Putin withdraws from the territory which he considers to be his colonial property because Ukraine was a colony of Russia in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and Putin thinks it should still be a colony when most of the world disagrees with that statement, that would end the war straight away, otherwise, it would drag on.”
He continued, “The more military support Ukraine gets the sooner Russians can withdraw but for us, it's an impure imperial neo-colonial war which has no place in the twenty-first century.”
As the 70th-anniversary milestone approaches, Secretary Bartoszewski's comprehensive insights underscore Poland's unwavering commitment to fostering a deeper and more robust partnership with India, encompassing technology, trade, and cultural exchange.