India, V4 countries agree to deepen political, defence ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India and the Visegrád Group (V4) — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — have agreed to deepen political, economic, technology, defence and people-to-people cooperation. After the first V4-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, he announced annual foreign ministers' meetings and an annual business forum. Talks also covered the Ukraine conflict and the Gulf. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said the V4 backs India's permanent UN Security Council membership.

Written by AI from External Affairs — S. Jaishankar · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 22 Sept 2026, 4:03 am IST

Source

External Affairs — S. Jaishankar · read the original report ↗

#jaishankar#visegrad group#diplomacy#unga#defence cooperation

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

India and the V4 countries (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic) agreed to deepen political, economic, technology, defence and people-to-people cooperation. — Attributed to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaking to media and in a post on X.
Annual foreign ministers' meetings and an annual business forum were announced. — Directly quoted from Jaishankar, who described it as a consensus.
The first V4-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly. — Stated in source; session number appears as given in the text.
V4 countries support India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council. — Attributed to Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár with a direct quote.
Jaishankar held bilateral meetings with French FM Jean-Noel Barrot and Ecuadorian FM Roberto Kury. — Stated in source without further detail or attribution.

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Analysts’ view opinion

AI Strategic Affairs Analyst

The first V4-India foreign ministers' meeting, held on the margins of the UN General Assembly, signals a deliberate Indian strategy of engaging Europe not only through Brussels but through its sub-regional groupings. Defence is the most concrete pillar here: India and these four states share a legacy of Soviet-origin equipment, which makes spares, upgrades and industrial tie-ups a natural fit. But with the V4 themselves divided on the Ukraine war, this platform is likely to deliver more in trade, technology and defence-industrial terms than as a bloc of strategic consensus.

Engaging a sub-regional grouping directly, in parallel with the EU track, fits India's broader multi-platform diplomacy.
Announcing two standing mechanisms — annual ministerial meetings and an annual business forum — is an attempt to convert a one-off encounter into durable architecture.
The language of 'reinvigorating' defence ties matters at a time when Central European defence industries are expanding capacity after the Ukraine war.
V4 backing for India's permanent UNSC seat is politically useful, though these states have limited weight to move a reform process that has stalled for years.
Notably, Ukraine and the Gulf were described only as an 'exchange of views' — no common position was announced.

What to watch — Watch whether the promised annual ministerial and business forum actually get calendared, and whether defence cooperation translates into specific procurement, upgrade or co-production arrangements.

The story does not establish the scale, value, timelines or specific content of the defence and technology cooperation, nor does it suggest any agreed common stance on Ukraine or the Gulf.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

On September 22, at the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York, India held its first Foreign Ministers' Meeting with the Visegrád Group (V4) — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — four Central European EU and NATO members that coordinate as a regional bloc. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the two sides agreed to deepen political, economic, technology, defence and people-to-people cooperation, and to institutionalise the engagement through annual ministerial meetings and an annual business forum. The talks also covered global crises, including the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Gulf. Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár said the V4 supports India's permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

Key facts

The first V4-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting was held on September 22 in New York, on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.
The V4 (Visegrad Group) comprises four countries: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
Jaishankar called the meeting a "new historic occasion" and announced annual foreign ministers' meetings plus an annual business forum, describing it as a consensus decision.
Agreed areas of cooperation: political, economic, technology, innovation, research and education, defence, and cultural and people-to-people ties.
Jaishankar said India has "a very strong history with all the V4 countries in defence" and wants to "refresh and take forward" that cooperation.
Discussions also covered space, connectivity and people-to-people mobility; Indian students are present in each of the V4 countries.
The ministers exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Gulf.
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said the V4 agree India, as part of the Global South and an "upcoming superpower in the Indo-Pacific region", must be a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Timeline

September 22 (New York)First V4-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting held on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly.
After the meeting, same dayJaishankar briefs media: announces annual FM meetings and an annual business forum; Blanar voices V4 support for India's permanent UNSC seat.
Same UNGA visitJaishankar holds bilateral meetings with the French and Ecuadorian foreign ministers.
Announced for the futureAnnual foreign ministers' meetings and an annual India-V4 business forum to be instituted.

Who has a stake

India / Ministry of External Affairs (S Jaishankar) — Expanding outreach to Central Europe as a sub-regional bloc; seeking defence, technology and trade gains and support for a permanent UNSC seat.
V4 countries (Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic) — Institutionalised access to the Indian market, technology and education partnerships, and a coordinated voice with a major Indo-Pacific power.
Slovakia (FM Juraj Blanar) — Publicly articulated the V4 position backing India's permanent UNSC membership.
European Union — India says its EU relationship is deepening; the V4 track runs alongside and could reinforce India-EU engagement.
UN Security Council / UN reform process — V4 endorsement adds to the bloc of states supporting expansion of permanent membership to include India.
Indian students and diaspora in V4 countries — Mobility, education and people-to-people ties flagged as a priority area.

Why it matters

India is increasingly engaging Europe through sub-regional groupings rather than only the EU or individual capitals, and the V4 gives it a single channel to four Central European states with legacy defence links to India. The commitment to annual ministerial meetings and a business forum converts a one-off UNGA encounter into a standing institutional mechanism. The public V4 endorsement of India's permanent UNSC membership also strengthens India's case in the long-stalled Security Council reform debate.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

Visegrad Group (V4) = Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic.
First-ever V4-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting held on September 22 in New York, alongside the 81st UN General Assembly.
Outcomes announced: annual India-V4 foreign ministers' meetings and an annual business forum.
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar stated V4 support for India's permanent UN Security Council membership.
Cooperation areas listed: political, economic, technology and innovation, research and education, defence, space, connectivity, mobility, culture.
Jaishankar's other UNGA bilaterals: France (Jean-Noel Barrot) and Ecuador (Roberto Kury).

Mains framing

India's first ministerial meeting with the Visegrad Group reflects a deliberate turn towards plurilateral, sub-regional diplomacy in Europe: instead of engaging only Brussels or individual capitals, New Delhi is building dedicated tracks with clusters of states whose interests converge. The drivers are visible in the agenda — a stated \"very strong history\" of defence cooperation with all four countries that India wants to \"refresh\", complementarities in technology, innovation, research and education, and a growing Indian student presence in each V4 state. The strategic payoff is twofold: economic and defence diversification within Europe at a time when the India-EU relationship is itself deepening, and diplomatic capital in the form of V4 backing for India's permanent UNSC seat, framed by Slovakia in terms of India's Global South identity and Indo-Pacific weight. The exchange on the Ukraine conflict and the Gulf shows the forum is also being used to align perceptions on crises where Central European and Indian positions have diverged. The way forward, as set out in the story, lies in institutionalisation — annual foreign ministers' meetings and an annual business forum — so that commitments on defence, mobility, space and connectivity translate into deliverables rather than remaining declaratory.

Key terms

Visegrad Group (V4): A grouping of four Central European countries — Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — that coordinate on regional and foreign policy matters.
81st UN General Assembly: The annual UNGA session in New York; its sidelines hosted the first V4-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting on September 22.
UN Security Council permanent membership: Permanent seats at the UNSC; the V4 said India must be at the table as a permanent member, supporting India's long-standing claim.
Global South: Term used by Slovakia's foreign minister to describe India's grouping of developing countries whose representation at the UNSC it backs.
Annual business forum: A proposed India-V4 mechanism announced by Jaishankar to institutionalise economic and commercial engagement every year.
People-to-people mobility: Movement of students, professionals and citizens; Jaishankar noted Indian students are present in each of the four V4 countries.

Practice questions

Examine the significance of India's engagement with sub-regional groupings such as the Visegrad Group for its overall Europe policy.
"Institutional mechanisms matter more than declarations in diplomacy." Discuss with reference to the outcomes of the first V4-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting.
How does support from groupings like the V4 advance India's case for permanent membership of the UN Security Council, and what obstacles remain?

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

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