India-Slovakia Comprehensive Partnership: Modi-Fico Talks
Why in the news
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico at Bratislava Castle, and the two countries lifted their relations to a Comprehensive Partnership with several agreements.
Key facts
- Visit: a little over 24 hours in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
- First: the first Indian PM visit since Slovakia was founded in 1993.
- Discussion areas: automobiles, railways, advanced manufacturing, green technology and counter-terrorism.
- Terrorism: both sides called for adopting the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the UN.
MoUs signed
| Sector | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Defence | Defence-industrial cooperation |
| Labour mobility | Easier movement of workers; information exchange between authorities |
| Higher education | Academic and institutional links between the education ministries |
| Digital technology | Cooperation in IT and digital infrastructure |
About Slovakia
- Capital Bratislava; parliamentary republic; population about 5.4 million.
- Created on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful “Velvet Divorce” of Czechoslovakia.
- Joined the EU and NATO in 2004 and the eurozone in 2009; also in the Schengen Area.
- Prime Minister Robert Fico has led since October 2023, in his fourth term.
- Key industry: automobiles (plants of Volkswagen, Kia, Peugeot-Citroen, Land Rover), plus electronics and steel.
Related: UNSC 1267 Sanctions Committee
- Set up in 1999 by UNSC Resolution 1267 to sanction people and groups linked to Al-Qaeda, ISIL/Daesh and the Taliban.
- Measures: asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo.
- India has used it to seek action against Pakistan-based terror figures such as Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim.
Exam angle
- New status: Comprehensive Partnership; capital: Bratislava; currency: euro.
- Slovakia joined the EU and NATO in 2004.