Poland eyes def & tech cooperationPoland is looking to work towards elevating ties with India to a comprehensive strategic partnership, said visiting Polish deputy foreign minister Wladyslaw Bartoszewski. The new momentum comes ahead of the visit of Polish PM Donald Tusk later this year, and seeks to bury a minor diplomatic kerfuffle that had broken out between the two sides in January. Back then, external affairs minister S Jaishankar had taken exception to Polish deputy PM Radoslaw Sikorski’s visit to Pakistan in October last year.However, Bartoszewski clarified that Poland understands India’s position regarding terrorism. “Poland itself is a victim of terror perpetrated by Russia,” he stated. Bartoszewski further added that India’s import of Russian oil is also no longer a wrinkle in New Delhi-Warsaw ties. “We understand that India has to provide cheap energy for its people. But Russian energy has been sanctioned 20 times by the EU for financing Russia’s war against Ukraine. However, bilaterally, for us this subject is no longer under discussion, as India reduced its use of that oil.” The two sides are looking at a raft of cooperative engagements in diverse sectors ranging from space, maritime security and protecting commercial sea lanes, to AI and defence. Warsaw is keen on co-production of various weapon systems, both in India and in Poland. Drones are a natural focus segment, as highlighted by the Polish WB Group, which has set up its subsidiary, WB Electronics India Pvt Ltd, to churn out ‘Made in India’ drones. On critical minerals, Bartoszewski said that both India and Poland share common concerns about processing being concentrated in China. “Both Warsaw and New Delhi know that you can’t have a world-class economy if your critical minerals are coming from one supplier. Both Poland and India have processing companies that must develop technologies and systems for refining rare earth minerals.”On the possibility of India mediating in the Russia-Ukraine war, Bartoszewski was measured. “India can play a role in mitigating Putin, and PM Modi has the authority to lean on him and restrain Moscow. But India can’t stop the war simply because Putin is hell-bent on winning, which he clearly cannot do.”