Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Poland on the first leg of his two-nation visit. He was greeted with enthusiasm by the Indian community in Warsaw, who chanted "Modi-Modi" as he addressed them.
Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit the country in 45 years. Before Modi, Moraji Desai had visited the country in 1979.
In his address to the Indian community in Warsaw, Modi thanked them for their warm welcome and mentioned that this was the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister in the past 45 years, and that he was eagerly looking forward to meeting President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk to strengthen India-Poland ties.
Top Quotes From Prime Minister's Address In Poland
"India is the land of Lord Buddha's legacy. Therefore, India is an advocate of permanent peace in this region. India's concept is clear - this is not an era of war... India believes in dialogue and diplomacy to resolve conflict," Modi told the gathering.
"Today's India wants to connect with all. Today's India talks about the development of all. Today's India is with all and thinks about the interests of all," Modi said.
"When Covid came, India said - Humanity first. We sent medicines and vaccines to more than 150 countries around the world. Wherever there is an earthquake or any disaster, India has only one mantra – Humanity first," he said.
"Two decades ago, when an earthquake hit Gujarat, Jamnagar was affected badly. Poland was among the first countries to extend help,” the PM said.
"People of Poland have given a lot of love and respect to Jam Saheb and his family members, and the Good Maharaja Square is a testimony of that. Today, I have visited the Dobry Maharaja Memorial and Kolhapur Memorial. On this occasion, I want to announce that India has decided to launch the Jam Saheb Memorial Youth Action programme," he said. Under this programme, India will invite 20 Polish youths annually to visit India.
Modi said he also paid tribute at the Monte Cassino memorial, which commemorates the sacrifice of thousands of Indian soldiers. "This is a proof of how Indians have performed their duty in every corner of the world," he said.
“India and Poland have a lot of similarities. One of them is democracy. India is not just the mother of democracy, but also a participative and vibrant democracy. Recently, elections were also held in the European Union in which 180 million voters participated. In India, this number was 640 million," he said.
"Modi said he has promised that in his third term, India will become the third largest economy in the world. "NASSCOM estimates that India will become a trillion dollar economy by the end of this decade due to its digital infrastructure," he told the crowd.
"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 the Kabaddi championship for the first time. I want to wish good luck to their team," the Prime Minister said in his address.
Modi To Visit Ukraine On Friday
Modi's address in Poland comes ahead of his historic trip to Kyiv on Friday, marking the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the country gained independence in 1991.
Modi, who is visiting Ukraine at the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has said that he will share with the Ukrainian leader perspectives on peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict.
His visit to Kyiv comes nearly six weeks after his high-profile trip to Moscow, which triggered criticism from the US and some of its Western allies.
