|
Introduction
Indo-Polish relations are deep rooted and have traditionally been close and friendly,
characterized by understanding and cooperation. There has been close
cooperation between the two countries in international fora.
Poland is the largest and one of the most important countries in Central Europe.
Poland has become a NATO member and in a few years is expected to
acquire full EU membership. Its relative success in effecting a smooth
transition to democracy and market economy, the high growth performance
of the Polish economy over the last few years, and size and strategic
location in an area undergoing rapid and wholesale transformation,
guarantees that it will play a key role in the region and in shaping
Europe's future. Given Poland's importance in Central Europe, India
could further strengthen bilateral relations and trade and economic
cooperation. It could serve as a gateway for goods and services to
the vast EU, CEFTA and CIS markets. With its economy growing at a
rapid pace, it is
already India's largest export market in the region.
Background
Poland's attitude towards India is characterized by goodwill and recognition
of our diversity, democratic tradition, principles of non-violence
and tolerance. The Polish people still recall with respect Mahatma
Gandhi's support for their struggle in the face of Nazi aggression
as also Pandit Nehru's unequivocal stand on the issue. There are streets
named after Gandhi and Nehru in Warsaw.
During
the World War II, the then Jam Sahib of Jamnagar extended hospitality
to some 5,000 Polish orphans deported from Siberia. These children who
lived in camps in a number of places in western India, including Jamnagar,
Kohlapur and Panchgani, have formed the World Association of Poles from
India, which now has 400 members in several countries. The Association
organizes a Congress every 2 years, the last being held in Gdansk in
June 2002. Despite their advancing years, members of the Association
had collected funds for relief and rehabilitation after the Gujarat earthquake.
Polish Vice PM Szelachowski travelled to India in April 1989 to visit
the Polish children's camp in Jamnagar. One of the schools in Warsaw
is named after the Jam Sahib.
Since
the 15th century, a number of Polish writers, soldiers and missionaries
have visited India and fostered the abiding interest of the Polish people
in the civilisation, philosophy, art and culture of India. During the
19th century, several Sanskrit classics were translated into Polish and
a "History of Ancient India" in Polish was one of the first of its kind
to be published in Europe. A Chair of Sanskrit was set up at the Jagiellonian
University of Krakow as far back as 1893 and a strong tradition of Indological
studies and research in Indian languages and literature has developed
at the Universities of Krakow, Warsaw and Poznan. At the beginning of
the 20th century, the Polish painter Norblin was commissioned by the Maharaja
of Jodhpur to decorate the Umaid Bhavan Palace, where his exquisite paintings
can still be seen. An oil painting of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination by
Feliks Topolski has adorned Rashtrapathi Bhawan for decades.
|
|
Political
Relations
Diplomatic
relations between India and Poland were established in 1954 and the Indian
Embassy in Warsaw opened its doors in 1957. Next year in 2004 two
countries will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic
relations.
During
the socialist period, bilateral relations were close and cordial, with
regular exchanges of high level visits, planned trade and economic interaction
implemented by state trading organisations and underpinned by the rupee
clearing arrangements, inter-governmental cooperation in defence and
science and technology and cultural exchanges organized under the aegis
of the Cultural Exchange Programme.
In
its post-Communist phase, Poland has evolved into a robust, multi-party
democracy wedded to human rights. It has also effected a successful transition
from a command-and-control economy to a market-oriented and incentive-driven
economy, with privatisation and foreign investment acting as major engines
of growth. These changes have brought Poland closer to the Indian value
system and institutional ethos, adding extra depth and dimension to the
relationship.
Community
of Democracies Conference
This was reflected in the 108 countries Ministerial Conference "Towards a Community
of Democracies", held at Warsaw in June, 2000 and co-convened by Poland
and India (along with the USA, Korea, the Czech Republic, Chile and
Mali). The then External Affairs minister, Shri Jaswant Singh had led
the Indian delegation and chaired the Ministerial Panel on "Sharing
Best Practices". India is a member of the Convening Group which is
monitoring the follow-up and future
activities of the Community.
Parliamentary
Contacts
Contacts between the Indian and Polish Parliaments were established after the
overthrow of the Communist system in 1989. Poland has a long parliamentary
tradition stretching back to the 14th century and has established a
pluralist system of parliamentary democracy during the past decade.
A Polish parliamentary delegation led by the (then) Marshal of the
Sejm, Mr. Chrzanowski, had visited India in December 1992. Shri Manohar
Joshi, Hon'ble Speaker, Lok Sabha paid a return visit at the head of
an Indian parliamentary delegation in May 2002.
A Polish-Indian Parliamentary Group had been set up during the term of the last
Parliament. The Group had visited India in March 2000 at the invitation
of the Hon'ble Member of Parliamentary Affairs. A Poland-South Central
Asia Parliamentary Group currently with 12 members, has been set up
in the new Parliament, which was formed after the general elections
held in September 2001.
Exchange
of Visits
VVIP visits by high-ranking statesmen and dignitaries have been important milestones
in the bilateral relationship. During the socialist period, there were
regular exchanges of visits at the highest level. From the Indian side,
Presidents V.V. Giri (1970) and Zail Singh (1986) and Prime Ministers
Jawaharlal Nehru (1955), Indira Gandhi (1967) and Morarji Desai (1979)
visited Poland. From the Polish side, there were visits by Prime Ministers
Cyrankiewicz (1957) and Jaroszewicz (1973) and Polish United Workers'
Party First Secretaries Gierek (1977) and Prime Minister Jaruzelski
(1985).
This tradition has continued in Poland's post-Communist phase, with visits to
Poland by President S.D. Sharma (October 1996) and to India by Presidents
Lech Walesa (March 1994) and Alexander Kwasniewski (January 1998).
President Kwasniewski also made a transit halt at New Delhi in March,
1999 on his way back home from a visit to Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Prime Minister Leszek Miller visited India in February 2003.
In December 1992 a Polish parliamentary delegation, led by the Marshal of the
Sejm, Mr. Chrzanowski, had visited India. Subsequently, a 6-member
Polish-Indian parliamentary group, led by Sejm member Mr. Stanislaw
Grzonkowski visited India (March 2000) at the invitation of the Hon'ble
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. In May 2002, Hon'ble Speaker of
the Lok Sabha, Shri Manohar Joshi, led a multiparty parliamentary delegation
on a visit to Poland.
Visits have also been exchanged between Chief Justice A.M. Ahmadi (June 1996)
and First Presidents of the Polish Supreme Court, Dr. Lopatka (February
1990) and Prof. Strzembosz (January 1997), as well as between the President
of the Supreme Chamber of Control of Poland. Mr. Wojciechowski (January
1999) and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Shri V.K. Shunglu
(May 2000).
At the Foreign Office level, EAM Shri N.D. Tiwari (1987) and Polish Foreign Minister
Marian Orzechowski (1988) had exchanged visits. In the post-Communist
era, visits to Poland have been made by MOS (EA) Shri Natwar Singh
(June 1989), Shri R.L. Bhatia (February 1993), Smt. Kamala Sinha (September
1997) and Shri Omar Abdullah (February 2002), and to India by Deputy
Foreign Ministers Jan Majewski (April 1990), Robert Mroziewicz (June
1995), and K. Jakubowski (April 1997). A Protocol on Foreign Office
Consultations, providing for annual meetings at the senior officials
level, was signed during President S.D. Sharma's visit to Poland in
1996.
During
his visit to Warsaw in June 2000 for the Ministerial Conference "Towards
a Community of Democracies", EAM had brief bilateral interactions with
the Polish President, Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Sejm and the
Foreign Minister.
Shri
Omar Abdullah, MOS(EA)'s Visit to Poland: Shri Omar Abdullah, MOS(EA)
paid a bilateral visit to Poland from February 20-24 and met Polish
Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, Under Secretary of State
(President's Chancellery) Andrzej Majkowski, Under Secretary of State
(Ministry of Economy) Janusz Kaczurba, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the Sejm Jerzy Jaskiernia and Secretary of State (PM's
Chancellery) Tadeusz Iwinski. MOS (EA) held extensive talks with Deputy
Foreign Minister Andrzej Zalucki focusing on range of issue of bilateral,
regional and international importance. Shri Abdullah also chaired the
Head of Missions Conference on February 22-23.
Hon'ble
Speaker of Lok Sabha, Shri Manohar Joshi led a multi-party Parliamentary
delegation to Poland from 22-26 May 2002 at the invitation of his Polish
counterpart Mr. Marek Borowski. During the visit, the delegation met
Mr. Marek Borowski and Mr. Longin Pastusiak, Marshals of the Sejm and
Senate respectively, Mr. Jerzy Jaskiernia, Chairman of the Foreign
Affairs Committee of the Sejm and had a luncheon meeting with the Presidium
of the Poland-South-Central Asia Parliamentary Group. The Indian delegation
was welcomed with a standing ovation in the Sejm (Lower House) of Poland.
Hon'ble Speaker and the delegation also met President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Hon'ble Speaker inaugurated the bust of Mahatma Gandhi, gifted to the
Warsaw Administration by ICCR, at the Warsaw University Library on
23 May, 2002. Hon'ble Speaker also laid a wreath at the "Tomb of Unknown
Soldier" in Warsaw.
Shri
Harin Pathak, Hon'ble Minister of State for Defence Production and
Supplies, accompanied by a 5-member official delegation visited Poland
from July 5-10, 2002. During the visit, Shri Pathak met the Defence
Minister, the First Deputy Minister of National Defence and the Secretary
of State in the Ministry of Economy. The Hon'ble Minister also visited
several defence establishments, including the Naval Headquarters of
Poland and the Gdynia Shipyard.
Prime
Minister Leszek Miller paid a State Visit to India from 15-18 February
2003. Besides New Delhi, he visited Agra and Bangalore. The two sides
reviewed bilateral relations with a special focus on developing trade
and economic cooperation. Agreements on Combating Organised Crime and
International Terrorism, Extradition Treaty and Defence Cooperation
were signed during the visit. |
|
Economic
and Commercial Cooperation
During Poland's socialist period, Indo-Polish trade was ordered on the basis
of annual trade protocols and the rupee clearing system and conducted
by state trading organisations on both sides. The first Indo-Polish
Rupee Trade and Payments Agreement was signed in November 1959 and
was thereafter extended every 5 years until December 1990, when it
was terminated at the request of the Polish side. During this period,
Poland was India's second largest trading partner in the socialist
bloc after the former USSR. In 1989-90, the last year of rupee trading,
trade turnover was Rs.268 crores, with our exports constituting Rs.125
crores.
After
the termination of the clearing arrangements, a new Trade Agreement
came into effect from 1 January 1990, providing for trade in convertible
currency and for mutual extension of MFN status. Subsequently, the
rupee balances, which stood at Rs. 900 million or US$ 30 million in
Poland's favour at that time, were liquidated. The initial impact of
the new arrangement was sharply negative when trade was reckoned in
terms of hard currency, although both trade turnover and Indian exports
to Poland continued to show growth in rupee terms.
It
has been the endeavour of both countires to overcome the transitional
difficulties arising out of the systemic transformations and to resume
trade growth as quickly as possible. To this end, several of the legal
parameters necessary to provide a boost to trade and economic relations
have been put into place. Both countries are members of WTO and extend
MFN treatment to each other. Besides the Trade Agreement (January 1990),
Agreements on Avoidance of Double Taxation (June 1989) and on Bilateral
Protection of Investments (October 1996) have also been concluded.
New interactions and linkages have been established, with business
delegations featuring prominently in the Presidential State visits
made by Lech Walesa, S.D. Sharma and Alexander Kwasniewski and Prime
Ministerial visit by Leszek Miller. These efforts have led to a gradual
revival of economic contacts with Poland.
The
figures for Indo-Polish trade are given below
India-Poland
Trade, 1992-2002
Year |
India's
exports to Poland |
India's
imports from Poland |
Turnover |
| |
US$
million |
%change |
US$
million |
%change |
US$ million |
| 1992
|
64.25
|
- |
52.41
|
-
|
116.66
|
| 1993
|
75.53
|
+18% |
42.42
|
-19%
|
117.85
|
| 1994
|
88.05
|
+17% |
41.30
|
-3%
|
129.35
|
| 1995
|
108.09
|
+23% |
80.20
|
+94%
|
188.29
|
| 1996
|
139.91
|
+29% |
51.38
|
-36%
|
191.29
|
| 1997
|
138.94
|
-0.7% |
60.09
|
+17%
|
199.03
|
| 1998
|
156.50
|
+13% |
45.29
|
-25%
|
201.79
|
| 1999
|
167.00
|
+7% |
78.00
|
+72%
|
245.00
|
| 2000
|
140.00
|
-16% |
48.00
|
-38%
|
188.00
|
| 2001
|
157.20
|
+12% |
94.40
|
+96%
|
251.60
|
2002
|
182,97
|
+16%
|
34.35
|
-64%
|
217.32
|
Source:
Central Statistical Agency of Poland
It would be seen that turnover, exports as well as imports, declined progressively
until 1994. The transition from the centrally planned socialist economy
to a market-oriented system in Poland, the disruption of the old Indo-Polish
trading arrangements, the increasing demand for sophisticated and quality
goods and competition from other countries all contributed to the sharp
fall in bilateral trade in the early 1990s.
However,
barring a marginal decline in 1997, India's exports to Poland increased
substantially between 1994 and 1999. There was a temporary reversal
of this trend in 2000, with exports falling by 16% to US$ 140 million.
This was due to the adverse impact of the uncertain political situation
in Poland, the weakening of the zloty by over 10% in the second half
of 2000 and the very high interest rates prevalent in Poland. However, Indian
exports have picked up in 2001 and thereafter. Another significant
feature of Indo-Polish trade in the 1990's has been that the balance
of trade has generally been in India's favour.
The
profile of India's export basket to Poland is fairly diversified. Our
major exports have been bulk tea, coffee, unmanufactured tobacco, de-oiled
cakes, black pepper, cotton yarn, cotton textiles, made-ups and apparel,
jute manufactures, mica and mica products, light engineering products
like hand tools and consumer electronics and some machinery items like
machine tools and textile machinery.
Our
major imports from Poland have been equipment for power stations, railway
equipment such as wheel sets, rails etc., coal mining machinery, ships
and ship engines, machine tools, other capital goods and commodities
such as coking coal, sulphur, rapeseed oil, chemicals and pharmaceuticals,
ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Economic
Cooperation: Polish public sector companies have played a substantial
role in the development of the mining and power sectors in India. Cooperation
in the coal sector started in the early 1960s, when the Sudamdih and
Moonidih underground mines in the Jharia coal field were taken up for
development with Polish assistance. Other important projects include
the Pootkee Bulliary, the Satgram Project and the reorganisation of
the Lalkdih and Victoria collieries, as well as the supply of mining
machinery, equipment and technical know-how and training of Indian
engineers in Poland.
In
the power sector, Elektrim S.A., formerly a Polish government company,
in cooperation with Megadex S.A. has delivered machines, equipment
and installations for 11 power plants in India (Kaperkheda, Paras,
Bhusaval, and Koradi in Maharashtra; Barauni and Bokaro in Bihar; Basin
Bridge in Tamil Nadu; Durgapur in West Bengal; Rourkela in Orissa;
and the Talcher power plant). Elektrim has additionally supplied a
variety of transformers, switchboards and other power transmission
equipment and constructed a 75MW power plant in the Kuch region of
Gujarat on a turn-key basis.
Poland
has also been a major supplier of railway equipment, particularly wheels,
axles and rails, as well as turbines and diesel engines to India. A
number of merchant ships have also been delivered by the Gdansk ship-yard.
Recent
contracts include: (a) a contract for supply of machines and mining
equipment worth US$ 50 million, presently under implementation, awarded
by Neyveli Lignite Corporation to a consortium of three leading Polish
companies, M/s Poltegor, Famago SA and Fugo SA, along with M/S Mc Nally
Bharat, Kolkata; (b) provision of technical services for oil and gas
exploration projects in India by the Oil and Gas Exploration Company
(OGEC), Krakow, in collaboration with Cairn Energy India Pvt. Ltd.
Chennai; (c) a contract for 2D Seismic Data Acquisition in the east
cost of India recently awarded by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited,
Chennai.
India
and Poland are both seeking foreign direct investment and are thus
not yet major capital exporting countries. According to data available
with the Secretariat for Industrial Assistance, New Delhi, Polish investments
in India from 1991 to December 2001 amounted to Rs. 151.63 million,
while Indian investments in Poland up to February 2000 amounted to
US$ 1.12 million.
In
Poland, there are two Indo-Polish joint ventures : (a) between Sharp
Industries Ltd. of Mumbai and P.P. Hanmar Caresbac-Polska and Kleszczow
Municipality for producing barrier films for food packaging; and (b)
between M/S Escorts, Faridabad, India and Pol-Mot of Poland for import
and assembly of tractors in Mragowo, Poland. During the 1960's and
1970's, the Polish company Ursus had supplied tractors and tractor
technology to M/S Escorts. The joint-venture company in Poland now
imports tractors from M/S Escorts in India in knocked down condition
for assembly and sale in Poland.
Other
known Indian investments in Poland mainly involve trade offices/warehousing
facilities set up for import of tea from India by M/S E.C. Engineers
Pvt. Ltd., M/S Sheopmand Surendrakumar Ltd., M/S Bhansali & Co. Pvt. Ltd., and M/S M.K. Shah Exports Ltd. M/S Ranbaxy Ltd., a reputed Indian
pharmaceutical company has also set up a representative office in Poland.
There
is one important joint venture with Poland in India between Bobkay
Engineers Private Ltd., Mumbai and Enko SA, Gliwice, Poland for manufacture
of high quality electro-magnetic flow meters for the food processing
industry, especially for the dairy sector.
Cooperation
with Poland in the IT sector is limited as Poland itself has a large
trained pool of IT personnel. However, there have been some exchanges.
The Citibank Polska and Bank Handlowy of Poland, which has been acquired
by Citibank, are sourcing their software requirements and training
programmes from India. ComputerLand, a major IT firm in Poland, has
tied up with a company in Pune for its training requirements.
After
privatisation and restructuring of the Polish industry, which started
in 1990, Poland has the capacity to supply medium-level technology
to India in several sectors. These were identified during the visit
of Polish President Kwasniewski to India in January 1998 as : (a) machines
and devices for power industry, including construction and repair work
for power units; (b) machines, devices and services for coal mining;
c) machines, devices and services for shipping industry, including
supplies of passenger and cargo ships, fishing vessels and specialized
vessels; (d) crude oil and natural gas processing; (e) technologies
for chemical industry; (f) industrial co-production in the field of
measurement devices production; and (g) supplies of steel structure.
In
addition, there are possibilities for the two sides to form joint ventures
or cooperate through technology transfer agreements in the automobile,
chemical and pharmaceuticals, earth moving and construction machinery,
electronics, exploration of oil natural gas, environmental friendly
technology for power stations and food processing sectors.
Joint
Commission: At the institutional level, an Indo-Polish Joint Commission
for Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technical Cooperation has been
in existence since 1972. The Commission met regularly during Poland's
socialist phase, with the Ministry of Coal and the Ministry of Economy
acting as the nodal agencies on the Indian and Polish sides respectively. The
last, 14th meeting of the Joint Commission was held in Delhi in January-February,
1996.
The
Joint Commission has four Sub-Committee dealing with: (a) Industry;
(b) Trade (re-designated as Working Consultations on Trade-Related
Issues in 2000); (c) Coal, Mining and Power (which has, in turn decided
to set up a Working Group on Coal, which has met once in 1998); (d)
Science and Technology. In addition, a Working Group on Cooperation
in Agriculture and Food Processing is envisaged under the Agreement
on Cooperation in Agriculture, Food Processing and Rural Development,
which has been finalised, but is yet to be signed.
Joint
Business Council: At the business level, an Indo-Polish Joint Business
Council (JBC) has been established and has met 6 times, the last meeting
being held in 1996, prior to the meeting of the Joint Commission. The
nodal agencies are FICCI (JBC Secretariat) on the Indian side and the
Polish Chamber of Commerce. |
|
Cultural
Interaction
Indological Studies in Poland: Cultural links between India and Poland predate
the political association and indeed the independence of both countries.
There is a strong tradition of Indological studies in Poland, with
Polish scholars having translated Sanskrit classics into Polish as
early as in the 19th Century.
The
centenary of the first Chair of Sanskrit, which was established at
the Jagiellonian University at Krakow in 1893, was celebrated a few
years ago. The University has an active Indology Department which offers
a popular 5-year post-graduate course in Indology. In September 2001,
the Department organised the Second International Conference on Hindi
Studies at Krakow with the participation of eminent Hindi scholars
from India and several other countries. The Department had earlier
organised International Conferences on Sanskrit and Related Studies
(Warsaw, October 1999) and on Jainism (Warsaw, September 2000). It
has also brought out a Hindi translation of the works of the renowned
Polish poet, Tadeusz Rozewicz, which was released in both Delhi and
Krakow in December, 2001.
The
Indology Department of the Oriental Institute at the University of
Warsaw was established in 1932 and is now the biggest centre for Indian
studies in Poland. The ICCR funds two Indian professors, who are teaching
Hindi and Tamil at the Warsaw University. The Indology Department recently
organised a successful seminar on "Argument and Reason in Indian Logic"
(Kazimierz Dolny, June 2001), with research papers being presented
by a number of Indian, Polish and international scholars of repute.
The
University of Lvov has an Indology Department which dates back to the
early 20th Century, when it was part of Poland; it is now in Ukraine.
The
Second World War had halted academic activities at all universities
in Poland. However, the Indology Departments in Krakow, Warsaw and
Wroclaw were restarted by dedicated Polish academics.
In
addition to Krakow and Warsaw, Indological studies are on offer at
the University of Wroclaw (since 1945) and the Adam Miciewicz University
at Poznan.
Cultural
Exchange Programme: The first Indo-Polish Agreement on Cultural Cooperation,
providing for cooperation in the fields of culture, education, arts,
science and technology, was signed in New Delhi in March, 1957. The
first Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP), covering the period 1964-66,
was finalised in March 1964. Since then, CEPs have been agreed and
implemented every two years, the last CEP being for the period 1997-1999.
The nodal agencies coordinating the CEP are the Department of Culture
on the Indian side and the Department of Cultural and Scientific Policy
in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The
CEP for the period 2001-2003 was negotiated and initialled during the
visit of a Polish delegation to India in February-March, 2001.
Over
the years, a large number of cultural and educational exchanges have
taken place under the aegis of the CEPs. Several cultural troupes have
visited Poland and staged performances in Warsaw, Krakow and many other
Polish cities. In recent years, Bharat Natyam, Odissi, Mohini Attam,
Kathak and Kathakali dance troupes and several music groups have performed
in Poland to full houses and appreciative audiences. Art and photo
exhibitions, festivals of Indian films and cuisine and puppet shows
are some of the other events which have been successfully organised. >From the Polish side, several musical, art and film shows have been organised
in India. These interactions have nurtured the abiding interest of
the Polish people in Indian culture and art forms.
At
the academic level, ICCR has been deputing two teachers to teach Hindi
and Tamil at the University of Warsaw (and earlier at the Jagiellonian
University, Krakow as well). Students from Poland are being given scholarships
to study Indian languages in Poland. Indian students have been studying
in Poland in areas such as medicine, engineering, town planning, ship-building
and coal-mining. Recently, an all-India Association of Arts and Science
Graduates from Polish Universities was formed in Delhi.
A
Radio and TV Agreement was signed between India and Poland in 1985.
The two countries offer reciprocal facilities for broadcast of National
Day Speeches and exchange of tapes and films is also being effected
under this Agreement.
Under
ICCR's Distinguished Visitors Programme, visits to India have been
organised by important journalists, academics and other opinion-makers.
The Rector of the Warsaw University of Technology, who was also the
President of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland
(CRASP), visited India in February 2002.
Several
Polish diplomats have attended the training courses conducted by the
Foreign Service Institute, New Delhi. |
