Polish PM arrives; will hold talks with Manmohan Singh tomorrow

India and Poland will discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relationship especially in the fields of defence and trade and investment when Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will hold talks with Indian leadership in New Delhi tomorrow.

Tusk, who arrived in Bangalore today on a three-day state visit to India, will hold delegation level talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh and will call on President Pratibha Patil. Tusk is a first non-communist Polish prime minister to visit India on an official trip.

After his meeting with Singh, the two sides are expected to sign some agreements including one in the field of cultural exchanges.

"While a number of agreements are on the table, one which will be signed is on cultural exchanges," Banashri Bose Harrison, joint secretary (central Europe) in the ministry of external affairs told reporters in New Delhi.

The Polish leader, accompanied by his wife and senior government officials, is scheduled to address industry leaders here at a luncheon meeting jointly organised by the industry chambers that is aimed at encouraging Indian investment in Poland.

Besides, the economic relations, Indo-Polish military cooperation has also witnessed manifold increase after the visit of then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee in December 2004 when the two countries set up a joint working group on defence cooperations.

Negotiations are on between the companies from India and Poland for joint ventures in defence field. However, Harrison refused to divulge the names of the companies.