First Indian PM in 33 Years: Modi Inks Key Pacts with Slovakia on Defence, AI and Counter-Terror

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday scripted a historic chapter in India's diplomatic engagement with Central Europe as he became the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Slovakia since the country gained independence in 1993.

Arriving in Bratislava on Sunday evening from Nice, where he had held bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron , Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour on Monday morning. The visit began on a warm cultural note, with Slovak artists performing Vande Mataram , and Modi noted the moment with visible appreciation, highlighting the 150th anniversary of the iconic song.

Modi held extensive talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at the historic Bratislava Castle, where the two leaders explored new avenues of cooperation spanning trade and investment, defence and security, technology and innovation, space and nuclear energy, education and culture, and talent mobility. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar , Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri , and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were part of the Indian delegation.

The day's most consequential outcome was the elevation of India-Slovakia ties to a Comprehensive Partnership . Modi described it as symbolic of "shared trust, shared priorities, and a shared future," while Fico announced that both countries had agreed to take their cooperation to the level of a comprehensive and strategic collaboration.

The two sides signed several MoUs, including agreements on labour migration and digital technology, and announced the establishment of a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism , with both leaders condemning terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism. In a pointed signal, the Pahalgam terror attack was specifically condemned in the joint statement. Both countries also committed to strengthening cybersecurity cooperation and protecting critical information infrastructure against emerging quantum threats.

On the technology front, both nations agreed to establish the first-ever ICCR Chair in Artificial Intelligence at the Technical University of Kosice. Civil nuclear energy was identified as another key priority, with Modi emphasising the need to enhance cooperation between industry and experts of both nations. A Letter of Intent on defence cooperation was also signed, aimed at joint development and joint production between the two countries' defence industries.

At the joint press statement, Fico hailed India as the world's fifth-largest economy with the ambition to become the third largest, congratulating Modi particularly on India's advances in digitalisation and artificial intelligence. Modi, in turn, extended a formal invitation to Fico to visit India.

The two leaders later jointly laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Bratislava, paying respects to the brave soldiers who played a pivotal role in Slovakia's liberation during World War II. Modi is also scheduled to meet President Peter Pellegrini before concluding his two-day state visit on June 16.